As usual, Tom never stops amazing the world… 

If you didn’t get a chance to read the whole story, don’t stop here…

Adventures of an American Hero and His American Flag (Part 1)

Adventures of an American Hero and His American Flag (Part 2)

Adventures of an American Hero and His American Flag Saying Thank You (Part 2 – Follow up from Tom)

 “Adventures of an American Hero and

His American Flag Saying Thank You”

(Part 2 – Follow up from Tom)

Chaz and Jacklyn,

Good afternoon to you both; I trust y’all had a wonderful week and are looking forward to a great weekend.

From your last e-mail I have a couple of comments followed by another “Next Chapter”. Here it goes:

First, thank you so much for your kind words. If the truth be known I just look at myself as being a regular guy that’s had a great career, filled with copious meaningful experiences that have shaped my thoughts and actions. This chapter that started with Jason and continued with Grace Alley’s generosity, may turn out to be one of the best experiences of my life.

RE: Integrity – yes that is a sincere goal. Integrity is one of the character qualities that we try to pass on to younger folks when given the opportunity. I have a saying for the business world within my sphere of influence and it is “Hire for character, train for skills, and fire for behavior.” Other time proven character qualities I look for in a team member include truthfulness, sincerity, forgiveness, alertness, hospitality, generosity, joyfulness, endurance, diligence, thoroughness, and dependability. It also helps if someone is able to demonstrate patience, wisdom, discernment, and enthusiasm. Many of these character qualities, in my opinion, are limited in today’s workplace.

RE: The stories – I’m so pleased that y’all are enjoying them. What should they called? Here is a video that says a lot without saying a word; well done.

After viewing it what would you think about something like “Adventures in saying Thank You”? After all, it’s not about me; it’s them, the true heroes.

RE: Response to Customer Service e-mail – What is most amazing? I never respond to these types of e-mails!!! Thank you Lord!!!

RE: Phone call with Mark – I will start trying to get ahold of him today and pass on your contact information. He should be calling in the next couple of days. One note of clarification – it is my understanding that the hero’s they help with hunting and fishing trips is primarily in the summer/fall timeframe. Weather in the mountains of Idaho is more conducive to outdoor activities during those months.

RE: Final idea – I have attached it as a Word document as this e-mail is getting somewhat lengthy.

Thanks again for everything you two; have a great weekend.

Tom

P.S. – As I mentioned earlier, I need to be responsible for several days next week; on assignment with a client. What does this mean? Typically 12 hour days Monday through Wednesday, flying home on the red eye on Wednesday. Please, please, please don’t be offended if I’m tardy in any e-mail responses.

Tom’s Attachment:

FLAG PRESENTATION TO THE SPITZ FAMILY

David – With Shane, Mom and Dad standing up front with you, please hold the folded flag in your hand and read the following: 

This morning we are recognizing Shane and his family; this congregation’s newest member of our nation’s armed forces.  Tradition says that families of our nation’s military fly the American flag with pride.  To continue this tradition we want to present the Spitz Family with a flag.

As part of this presentation want to share the significance of each of the folds in our flag.  They include:

• The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
• The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.
• The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans who have departed our ranks, and who gave a portion of his or her life for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.
• The fourth fold represents our weaker nature; as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace, as well as in times of war, for His divine guidance.
• The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right, but it is still our country, right or wrong.”
• The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

• The seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces, for it is through the armed forces that we protect our country and our flag against all enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
• The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor our mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.
• The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
• The 10th fold is a tribute to father, for he too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since he or she was first born.
• The 11th fold, in the eyes of Hebrew citizens, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
• The 12th fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost.

 

When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it has the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under Gen. George Washington and the sailors and Marines who served under Capt. John Paul Jones and were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the U.S. Armed Forces, preserving for us the rights, privileges and freedoms we enjoy today.

 

David – Please unfold the flag and present it to the Spitz Family; then ask everyone in attendance to stand, salute or place their hand over their heart, and ask Shane to lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

 

 

Adventures of an American Hero and His American Flag (Part 2) just seems to get better. You don’t find people like Tom all that often, but when you do, it’s a blessing.

Don’t forget to read the whole story about this American Hero. It’s worth it…

Adventures of an American Hero and His American Flag (Part 1)

Adventures of an American Hero and His American Flag (Part 2)

Adventures of an American Hero and His American Flag Saying Thank You (Part 2 – Follow up from Tom)

“Adventures of an American Hero and

His American Flag Saying Thank You” (Part 2)

— Original message —

The next chapter in the story!!
From: Tom Sauerbrun
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2014 10:08 AM
To: Grace Alley

Chaz and Jacklyn,

Good morning to you both from the snowy mountains of eastern Idaho.

As an update I offer the following. I did receive the box with three flags; WOW, this is wonderful. Thank you so very much, you will never know how much your generosity is impacting the lives of others.

And now, the next chapter of the story.

As you recall the first Grace Alley flag I purchased from Amazon and sent to Jason, a 31 year old American Hero and his family. He should be receiving it today, just in time for Thanksgiving. My response to your customer service e-mail is how we met provides a starting point for the rest of the story.

In your e-mail was an encouragement to share with “another American Hero or two”. When I opened the box and saw the three flags I took the opportunity to think seriously about who do I consider true American hero’s. Not the kind of hero’s described in the press or the one’s people write books about. Although these folks are true hero’s I thought about some of the un-sung heroes of our nation; we know they are everywhere around us living down the street, owning a small business, leading regular lives. Each has a story to tell, but few of them ever share. With this in mind I have presented, or am going to present later today, Grace Alley flags to the following American Hero’s. Here are their stories.

Flag #1 – let me introduce Meg. Meg is an elderly retired school teacher, widow, living on a fixed income. Meg is a meticulous home-owner and is known in the neighborhood for her flowers. Her oldest son is currently serving as a Chaplin in the US Navy and will be soon retiring. I wouldn’t say she is fearful of her son’s service responsibilities, but is seriously concerned about what Chaplin’s are restricted from saying and doing in our current political environment. Does she feel the decay of our nation’s founding principles? You bet, and it shows.

For the past several months the flag flying proudly displayed on the front of her modest house has become faded from the sun and tattered from the continuous winds of eastern Idaho. Meg has known since summertime of the need to replace “Old Glory” and has been saving up for a replacement. When I knocked on her door she let me in and I said “Meg, you need to replace your flag!” She looked down and quietly said “I know, I should have done it a long time ago.” Without hesitation I removed one of your flags from the pouch on my sweatshirt and handed it to her. She immediately knew what is was and as her hands reached out to take it her eyes came to mine. Her eyes were filled with tears and she was, for a moment, speechless. (Please understand, Meg being speechless is rare!!). After several moments of silence she asked “where did this come from”, and other questions. Without a word from me she soon answered her own questions by saying “It doesn’t matter where it came from, I have a new flag!”. I shared briefly the Grace Alley story, gave her a hug, and walked home thinking she was one of the American Hero’s that would appreciate a new flag, especially one made in the USA.

Flag #2 – Let me take a moment to introduce our local Parcel Express. When sending the first flag and a special card to Jason it was all boxed up and ready to go; all that was needed was take it to Parcel Express, have it weighed, and pay the appropriate postage. As I walked into the store there were several other customers and I took my place in line and noted there was no one behind me in line. When it was my turn I put the parcel on the scale and started talking with the lady behind the counter. One of the questions they always ask is “What are the contents, do you want it insured, etc.” Well, to me this was an opportunity to briefly share the story of Jason’s service and the question regarding forgiveness asked of me over dinner.

The lady behind the counter is a widow and grand mother of three boys. As I shared Jason’s story she began to tear up; later sharing that she lost her husband in war and that what was being done for Jason was rare and special. You could see that the hurt of her decades old loss was still real and she understood on a personal level what sacrifices are necessary to maintain this nations freedom and liberty.

Later this afternoon she, being a true American Hero, will be receiving the second Grace Alley flag. It will be appreciated from the heart.

Final note about the Parcel Express story – do you think it’s coincidence that there was no one in line behind me, nor other new customers coming in, and we were able to talk for a good ten minutes without interruption!!!

Flag #3 – Please let me introduce Cody. Cody is a 27 year old young man from Heyburn, Idaho I met several months ago in my business travels. Over dinner we shared some of our service related experiences; mine from Viet Nam, his from Iraq. As I later found out during his tours of duty, he came face to face with the enemy and came home with 3rd degree burns over 48% of his body. What is special about Cody? This young man is amazing; rather than carry this horrible experience as a chip on his shoulder he stands tall and is eager to share with others who have experienced combat in defending our nations freedom.

As our dinner conversation continued Cody shared his involvement with “Idaho N Hero’s Outdoors” – a 501c3 organization dedicated to taking combat wounded veteran’s on hunting or fishing trips in Idaho. Cody shared “Do you realize what it is like to take one of our guys or gals fishing; fishing from a wheel chair?”. He continued to share other experiences of the organizations including fund raising functions. If you have a moment, please check out their site – http://idahonheroesoutdoors.com/

I have shared Cody’s story with several of my friends and 100% have agreed to help; offering drift boat trips on the South Fork, Henry’s Fork, and Salmon Rivers (all are world class fly fishing rivers close to my home). When I shared this with Cody he got real excited; especially when I told him we had figured out a way to remove a couple seats from the boat and make room for a wheelchair!!!

Cody is one of our nation’s future leaders and a true American Hero. Cody will be receiving the third Grace Alley flag.

Thanks so much for allowing me the opportunity to nominate and share with three American Hero’s; it has been quite an experience made possible by your patriotism, commitment to quality, and generosity.

God bless y’all and have a great Thanksgiving holiday.

Tom

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Our response tho this amazing story…
(I’m sure you would do the same thing…)

————- Begin message ————-
From: Grace Alley – Amazon Marketplace 
Sent: Friday, November 28, 2014 9:39 AM
To: Tom Sauerbrun
Subject: RE: The next chapter in the story!!

Hello Tom!
Once again you have just blown us away with your generosity, kindness and belief in America.

It’s amazing how one person could touch so many as you have done. We are so proud to share these moments with you.

I was thinking back to the earlier email where you mentioned “Unsung Heroes”. The unsung “Hero’s” is what this country was originally built on. But the truth is that’s called “Integrity”, something you and your new friends have a lot of.

I have to admit we spent most of the week waiting to hear back from you. Telling your stories, about your kindness and adventures to friends and family who are just as amazed as we are.

We have decided to post your adventures on GraceAlley.com What should we call it? “The adventures of an American Hero paying it forward”. This story needs to be shared, people deserve to hear what you have done. America needs this. Whenever I talk about you, it’s hard to get it all out. Last Saturday I had a friend over and I shared your emails with her, I had her read from the bottom up so she could understand the email thread. When she was done, she was full of happy tears. A couple of times I have even copied and pasted the emails just so others could read it. For Thanksgiving Jacklyn printed it out so she could share your stories with her family.

You have touch a lot more people than you think you have. What you are doing is amazing.

Well your American Flags are on their way… And we look forward to hearing from you again…

Chaz and Jacklyn,
Grace Alley – An American Tradition

PS: Your response to our customer service email did something special and was an amazing starting point.

PPS: Please tell Mark Yearsly we would love to hear from him, he can reach out to me (Chaz) at 818-424-9673. I am pretty sure there is something we can do for the month of December. How could we not follow your lead?

Sometimes in life you never know how far your reach is or what it will become or maybe how one person out there in America can touch so many people, just at the right time.

For a long time we have kind of kept a conversation secret between one of our customers and us. Not sure really how to share it. To be completely honest, this was selfish. We should have shared this sooner, America deserves to hear it and the world deserves to hear this to understand that we are a country of good people. With all that is going on in America we need good stories, good people like this.

Just before Thanksgiving we received the most touching and sincere message we have ever received from a true American hero who just likes to share dinners and stories with good people along his travels.

Whatever you do, make sure you read the whole story… 

Adventures of an American Hero and His American Flag (Part 1)

Adventures of an American Hero and His American Flag (Part 2)

Adventures of an American Hero and His American Flag Saying Thank You (Part 2 – Follow up from Tom)

Adventures of an American Hero and
His American Flag Saying Thank You (Part 1)

— Original message —
Amazon: Have You Received Your American Flag?
From: Tom Sauerbrun
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 5:21 PM
To: Grace Alley

Jacklyn,
Thank you for the follow-up on my flag purchase; I really appreciate your outstanding customer service.

In your note you inquired if I had received and am enjoying the Grace Alley flag. My response – there is a low probability I will ever see it flying. There is the story behind this comment that goes like this.

I am a veteran having completed four combat tours of duty in Viet Nam. Like many other veterans of that era we don’t talk about our experiences much, and that’s OK. As a small business owner I have the opportunity to travel the pacific northwest providing consulting services to clients. During a recent assignment I had the opportunity to meet and get to know a young man (31 years old). He knew of my service background in the Navy and we shared many thoughts and our combat experiences as a common bond. Over dinner he shared his experiences during a 15 month tour in Afghanistan, completing over 150 missions (let’s just say this young man has been to hell and back). He inquired if I was a man of faith, my response was “yes sir”. Then he asked me a question that I wasn’t expecting, it was “Can God forgive me for what I did in Afghanistan?” I sent up a flare prayer asking the Lord for just the right words for this young man at this moment. My prayer was answered in a mighty way. We continued dinner and talked for right at two hours; it was a precious time of sharing between an old warrior and a young one about forgiveness, freedom, liberty, leadership, et al.

When I dropped him off at the hotel we agreed to keep in touch on a regular basis. About a week later I received an e-mail that included a photograph of his family (beautiful bride and three energetic young sons) standing on the porch of their new home. After looking at the photo for another moment I noticed something was missing from the front of their home – they don’t have an American flag proudly displayed!!!

I’m not sure whether I really like this kid or if a matter of duty but tomorrow my wife and I are sending your flag and the appropriate mounting hardware to their home in central Washington with a note saying “A Housewarming Gift for an American Hero and his family”.

Thanks for reading my story. Please pass on to everyone at Grace Alley our appreciation for providing a quality product that is made with pride in the USA. It means a lot to those of us who think the USA is the greatest nation on earth and our freedom and liberty didn’t come from a big box store.

God bless y’all,
Tom and Faye Sauerbrun
Idaho Falls, ID

---

Our response tho this amazing story…
(I’m sure you would do the same thing…)

From: Grace Alley – Amazon Marketplace
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 4:37 PM
To: Tom Sauerbrun
Subject: Amazon: Have You Received Your American Flag?

————- Begin message ————-

Hello Tom,
Thank you for sharing your amazing story, that was truly amazing!

Please except this “Housewarming Gift for an American Hero and Your Family” from Grace Alley. We just sent you a replacement flag.

Nothing would give us more pride than knowing an American and an American Hero like you is flying a Grace Alley American Flag…

Chaz and Jacklyn,
Grace Alley – An American Tradition

PS: Hope you and your family have great Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas…

PPS: We decided to send you two extra American Flags, just in case you happen to run into another American Hero or two…