INDIANAPOLIS — It is a symbol of freedom: the red, white, and blue American flag waves from the yards and porches of many Hoosier households.
James Toon sees dozens of flags every day, as he drives for Comcast as a tech operations supervisor.
"If I see a flag," Toon said, "I'll just pull over, stop, try to make contact with them, and try to replace it there on the spot if I can."
Toon spearheads Comcast's free flag replacement program. It gives new flags to Hoosier families for free, replacing older, worn, and torn flags.
"I've done a little over probably 30 flags," Toon said.
Those communities include Indianapolis, Shelbyville, Greenfield, Mooresville and Camby.
"There is a certain brand of the American flag we use," Toon said, "because it's made in the United States."
The new flag is installed in a matter of moments, but Toon said the old flag get its recognition too. Old flags are taken to the VFW, which has a program to respectfully retire the flags.
"It's really important that they don't just get thrown away, and that they are treated with the care and respect they need," Toon said.
The respect means a little more to Toon. That's because he is a 12-year National Guard veteran who served time in Iraq.
"No matter what side of the fence you're on, everyone kind of rallies around the flag," Toon said.
Mike Wilson is the public relations director with Comcast of Indiana.
"Personally, for me, it is great to see because it does restore a sense of pride. We see so much division day-to-day on any given topic, and it's so nice to have something that everyone can rally around," Wilson said.
Toon is a member of Comcast's Veteran Network Employee Resource Group, also known as VetNet. It supports Hoosier veterans and their families.
"It doesn't have, really, much to do with anything we do in the world of telecommunications," Wilson said. "But it has a lot to do with how we care about our employees."
VetNet allows veterans like Toon to give back in ways that matter most to them. Toon said employees do not have to be a veteran to help out in the free flag replacement program.
Comcast has more than 150 technicians working in the Indianapolis area, according to Toon. Each of those employees can send in a tip for a flag replacement.
Then, one by one, Toon and his teammates lift new flags and renewed spirit across central Indiana.
Wilson said the free flag replacement program is open to all Hoosiers, not just Comcast customers.