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belonged to his son, 22-year-old Ma-

rine lance corporal Joe Jackson. The

flag had been signed by each member

of Jackson’s platoon at the beginning

of their deployment and had hung over

his bed for his entire tour of duty in

Afghanistan. Jackson was on foot patrol

in Helmand Province in 2011 when he

stepped on an improvised bomb and

was killed. His father frequently took

the flag to memorials and veterans’

events to share his son’s story. It wasn’t

A Flag’s Long Journey Home

O

ne early morning last winter,

someone broke into Shawn

Marceau’s truck. That wasn’t

particularly unusual—thieves had

already hit him three times in recent

months, even as the truck was parked

outside his home in White Swan,

Washington. This time they made off

with a laptop, some riflescopes, and,

unbeknownst to Marceau at the time,

an American flag.

But this wasn’t just any flag. It had

By Juliana LaBianca

56 february 2019

Reader’s Digest

illustration by Gel Jamlang

EVERYDAY MIRACLES