Guardians of Old Glory spark pride through preservation of stars and stripes

Jay Gal comes from a family of serving; his dad, grandfather, uncles and now his kids have all served in the military, and giving back is in their nature.

It wasn't difficult for this patriot to come up with the concept for his nonprofit, Guardians of Old Glory.

"We raise money to buy American-made flags to give to youth organizations like Boy Scouts or ROTC," Gal said. "They take those flags and replace the flags throughout their neighborhood that need to be replaced for free."

Participants are dedicated to preserving the American flag through community service and youth leadership.

"When there's a flag that needs to be replaced or retired, a lot of times, there's reasons that they can't replace it," Gal said. "Money, time or just circumstances we don't know, so we like to help them without any judgement."

"I think it's a great idea. A lot of old flags fall apart, and we want to show them the respect they deserve," said Sam Allen, a Boy Scouts senior patrol leader. "Especially because it's our nation, our country, and they deserve respect."

The group believes through the simple act of replacing a worn-out flag, a spark of pride ignites.

What began as an effort to restore a symbol of freedom grew into something much more.

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