Charlotte County veteran sends father’s burial flag on a special journey

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CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla.- A Punta Gorda woman is honoring her ailing father, a veteran of the Korean War.

Instead of waiting to buy her dad’s burial flag for his funeral, she decided to purchase it early. Now that American flag is on a journey to bring peace to a family and honor to its owner.

“That flag means plenty to me..it sure does. and I’ll be proud to have it on me when I go to my grave,” said Private First Class Fred Combs.

But before that flag is draped across his casket, his daughter, who’s also a veteran, wants to honor her dad by sending the flag on a tour. But this won’t be a tour in Korea or in Afghanistan; the flag will make its way across the southeast stopping at different places that were meaningful to the Army Veteran, retracing the steps of his life.

“I went and purchased his burial flag that every veteran gets over their casket when they pass away. I purchased it and he’s still alive. I am wanting to honor him and so that he can appreciate the honor,” said Kim Combs.

Right now the flag is at Fort Benning, Georgia.

“They’re jumping the flag out of an airplane and then it’s going to North Carolina to go fly at Fort Bragg and then on to his high school in Corbin, Kentucky,” said Kim.

“Oh yea that’s cool. I think that ought to be plenty… as far as that’s concerned. That’s enough right there,” said Fred.

Once it’s back, it will take its new home at Fred’s assisted living facility in Port Charlotte.

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