(MOBILE, Ala.) It is a flag officers reverently honor, but dread to see.
It has flown in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ground Zero in New York.
And today it left Miami for Pensacola on it's journey to it's newest destination, Mobile, Alabama.
"What this flag represents," says Mobile Police Lieutenant Roy Hodge, "It calls for all of the respect we can give it."
And so they did.
Representatives from Gulf Coast law enforcement, military, and firefighters all assembled to acknowledge the Honor Flag's arrival at Pensacola International Airport.
It's most recent assignment? Bear witness to the life and service of Mobile Police Officer Steven Green.
"We are being given custody of this flag that so many other people have held and used as a flag of honor before us," says Lt. Hodge, "and we're going to carry that on."
Though its arrival signals a hero lost, the Honor Flag is a reverent rallying cry for those who hear it.
It receives the protection more often shown to a head of state... clutched tightly by its bearer, greeted by salute and silence.
The honor flag is a reminder that there are no guarantees. Sometimes service equals sacrifice.
"It's a brotherhood," says Lt. Hodge. "And like with any job or profession, the people you work with and do what you do, they understand what you're going through. They're grieving the same as you are. And they're there for us."
"This is a very special flag", says Mobile Fire-Rescue Honor Guard Allen Campbell. "It is quite an honor to be here to see it get here."
For its trip to Mobile, the Honor Flag rides with the officer who receives it, followed by a procession of police, deputies, firefighters and friends.
The Honor Flag can never fill the void left by Officer Green.
Instead it offers each of these men and women a place to put their sorrow, and a place to focus their respect for a man who shared their commitment to community and concern for all of us.
And then it goes back and lies in waiting.
"Exactly," says Hodge. "Waiting for it's next job."
