Need an American flag replaced? This Delaware man, with the help of Comcast, will do it for you – The News Journal

David Pinder, a Delawarean who works at Comcast, started a program to replace old American flags. The program has since expanded to several states. 6/14/21 Delaware News Journal

One of the first times David Pinder knocked on the door of an unsuspecting resident, he was met with an angry greeter. He had bypassed the "No Trespassing or Soliciting" sign after parking his Comcast truck.

Pinder wasn't at this New Castle County residence later learned to be a Verizon customer to solicit;rather he was there to give.

The American flag flying at the property was tattered and worn. And Pinder, a veteran of the Navy,took inventory of some visual cues that told him the person living there likely didn't have the means to replace it.

Pinder, he explained to the initially angry man, was there to replace the flag and retire the old one, free of charge. So he did.

David Pinder replaces a flag in the Iron Hill area. Pinder started the Veterans Network Flag Replacement Program at Comcast which replaces worn, faded or tattered flags.(Photo: Damian Giletto/Delaware News Journal)

That flag is one of the more than 400 Pinder and others, through Comcast's Veterans Network, has replaced for free in New Castle County and one of the around 600 replaced in the Delaware Valley over the last four years.

Pinder, a Bear native and Comcast maintenance supervisor, got the idea for theVetNet Flag Program while replacing a flag at his office.

"By nature Im patriotic, and I was looking to respect and take care of our flag," he said.

He ran the idea up thechain of command and got the go-ahead. In just a few days, 75 flags were in his office.

"What seemed like a great idea on paper, all of the sudden it was kind of like, Here we go,'" Pinder said.

At first, Pinder would notice worn and tattered flags while out in the field or would ask others working to take notice and let him know if there was a replacement opportunity.

"I suspected when I saw tattered flags, I always tried to assume the best of people," Pinder said."I assumed that there was a reason that it wasnt replaced and there was a good reason. What weve found often is maybe people didnt have the means to replace them, or another thing that we see a lot of times is once it starts to tatter, theyll just go overnight.

"Were there because you chose to fly a flag, and we choose to give you a new one. And not only a new one but a high-quality one."

MEMORIAL DAY:'Relentless in their commitment': Gov. Carney praises National Guard at Memorial Day event

The old flags, Pinder said, get folded up and collected in a sealed box.Then, on or around Veterans Day, they are retired with an honor guard at VFWPost 475 in Newark.

More than 200 flags were retired in the three years the program existed before the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the program to halt operations for a while. But then Pinder figured he and his various flag ambassadors could keep doing things safely.

They"looked like surgeons" walking up to people's doors with gloves and masks on.

"We were a little worried that people were going to be concerned by our presence, but we found the opposite," he said."People not only wanted to talk, but they wanted to keep talking."

COMCAST IN THE COMMUNITY:'Lift Zones' in Wilmington, Newark aim to help low-income families get online

Now, many of the replacements come by way of referrals or people reaching out to Pinder or the other area ambassadors. The program is now running from Maine down to Virginia, and Pinder said he has even trained Comcast employees in California and Chicago, too.

David Pinder raises the American Flag in the Iron Hill area. Pinder started a program at Comcast that replaces worn, faded or tattered flags.(Photo: Damian Giletto/Delaware News Journal)

One of the families who reached out to Pinder was the Levines, a military family who lives in Newark near the Maryland state line. Momo Levine got in contact with Pinder after seeing something on a local Facebook page.

Pinder was out in November to replace their flag.

"I was a little skeptical," Momo Levine said."I was happy about it because we had a very old, tattered flag."

REMEMBERING:At first, he hesitated to join the Army. It soon became this Dover veteran's life and lasting identity

"As a veteran, the flag means a lot," her husband, Joe, said. "What hes doing means a lot to veterans, especially the older ones who cant get out, as they get older, and replace it themselves."

That was the case for the man who lived at the house with the signs forbidding trespassers. He was living off a fixed income, Pinder said, and had trouble getting around. After first showing little interest ("I'm a Verizon customer," he said), the man let Pinder do the replacing.

Pinder, out of the corner of his eye, could see the man watching through a window as he put up a brand-new flag.

"You could tell he was kind of getting emotional," Pinder said."I waved to him, and he actually waved back as I was leaving."

Contact reporter Jeff Neiburg at jneiburg@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeff_Neiburg.

Read or Share this story: https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2021/06/14/flag-day-delaware-man-help-comcast-has-replaced-hundreds-tattered-flags-david-pinder/7606788002/

Read more:
Need an American flag replaced? This Delaware man, with the help of Comcast, will do it for you - The News Journal