An Indiana high school student got a patriotic surprise after he was told that he could not fly the American flag from his truck.
Cameron Blasek, 17, was informed by East Central High School administrators in St. Leon, Indiana that he could not continue flying the flag he had displayed on his truck for most of his senior year, Fox News reported.
That is when his friends got together and had an idea to show him support.
“I was shocked. Didn’t really expect it,” he told Fox News of the school’s decision to stop him from displaying the flag.
“They had told me if you don’t remove this flag, you’re getting written up for insubordination. And I told them, hey, you know, there’s no rules or regulations saying I can’t, I read the [rules] off their handbook,” the young man said.
When other students learned of what the school did, they started displaying the flag on their cars and trucks.
“I guess other students had heard about that, and they showed up the next day with flags on the back of their vehicles,” said Blasek.
Then a local company, GCI Digital in Cincinnati, heard his story and gifted him an American flag wrap for his truck.
“We saw Cameron’s story, and it resonated with us in a lot of ways. The truck was his grandfather’s and Cameron is a true American, interested in serving in the US Military,” business owner TJ Bedacht told Fox News.
“I love it. It’s only been one day at school so far, but, I think it’s great. I love driving around with the big flag all over the vehicle. I think it’s awesome,” the student said.
“I think the American flag represents people who fought and served for this country and lost their lives. But I also think it represents a sense of unity in this country,” he said.
“I think it’s something that everybody can agree on, no matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like. I think that’s something that can bring people together,” he said.
The student said that this experience taught him to “Stand for what you believe in. Hold your ground on any situation that you believe in.”
The school’s Principal Tom Black spoke to Fox News and said that the rule “was never about the U.S. flag and it was regarding all flags on vehicles.”
