U.S. flag found in Washington mudslide debris ‘keeping hopes high’

Call it a sign of hope among a sea of despair, but a National Guardsman in Washington found and pulled out an American flag in the midst of all the mudslide debris.

Sgt. Michael Cohan said he saw the Stars and Stripes peeking from the Snohomish County mudslide mess and “felt obliged to display it proudly,” he tweeted, ABC News reported. Unfortunately, the flag is too tattered and muddied to be flown in accordance with the pertinent section of U.S. Code.

So instead, Mr. Cohan and his fellow Washington National Guard members have set the flag at half mast in the middle of all the wreckage, ABC reported.

Washington National Guard then tweeted a photo of Old Glory, standing tall in a cleared area: “Maintaining morale & keeping hopes high amongst the devastation. A U.S. flag flies at half-staff amidst the #53oslide.”

The mudslide occurred on March 22, killing 27. Another 22 are still missing, ABC said.