Photo of Cub Scout keeping flag off ground goes viral

It’s one of the first thing Cub Scouts learn about flag etiquette: Don’t ever let the flag touch the ground.

Jack LeBreck, a Cub Scout from Hayden, Idaho, took that responsibility very seriously on an especially windy day last week.

It all started when Jack was performing a flag-lowering ceremony at his elementary school with two other Cub Scouts.

As his classmates folded the flag, Jack became worried that the strong wind would cause the flag to touch the ground. He acted quickly to protect the flag in a clever way.

“We’ve had a bunch of close calls from dropping it,” Jack told KREM-TV in Spokane, Wash. “But I thought it would happen because it was kind of a windy day. So I just thought of laying down and seeing what would happen.”

Yes, Jack chose to lie down — essentially sacrificing himself (and his clean clothes) to make sure the flag wouldn’t graze the ground. That’s what I call taking the Cub Scout motto — “Do Your Best” — to heart.

Honoring a veteran

What was the inspiration behind Jack’s quick-thinking act of ingenuity?

“It was all because of our custodian, Mr. Mac,” Jack told KREM-TV.

Mr. Mac is Mac McCarty. He’s a veteran who served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. By honoring the flag, Jack and his fellow Cub Scouts are honoring Mr. Mac’s service to our country.

In addition to serving as custodian, Mr. Mac selects students to serve on the flag team.

Not surprisingly, he chose three Cub Scouts for this important task. And these three young men did not disappoint.

“What they did yesterday was obviously all them … laying on the ground and all that,” McCarty told the TV station. “And I’m very proud.”

A photo goes viral

A mom who was there to pick up her kids from school saw it all. Amanda Reallan took a photo of Jack’s patriotic deed and shared it on Facebook.

Reallan’s photo went viral, appearing on news stations in Colorado, Texas, California, Missouri and Georgia.

Nalan Tuttle, one of the Cub Scouts in the photo, joked that the fame might lead to an unexpected career path.

“I was gonna be like, ‘hey, Mom, I should be an actor some day,'” he said.

Inspiring others

Some might say that Jack could’ve remained standing and held the flag in the middle.

That’s easy to say in hindsight. But with the wind whipping wildly and no time to spare, Jack’s clever moves worked. The flag didn’t touch the ground.

And now, because of that unique method, Jack has inspired others across the nation.

Great job, Jack!


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.