Coming up on a positive note where good news does exist
or saluting those who keep our nation safe.
Watch as this World War Two veteran turned his love for the American flag
into a mission of honor.
I'm going to try to
give these to everybody on the block,
but I'm going to tell them,
I don't want you to keep it in the house. You got to keep it outside where it can be seen.
We're catching up with the flag man
over on Long Island. These dogs provide
the left hand, the right hand
ears, eyes
and soul for the veteran.
These very good boys are helping our nation's bravest, live independent lives
and how veterans like the hot dog King have
made a name for themselves following years of service
today. Good news. It does exist and you come to the right place to find it.
It's time for on a positive note. Salute to service.
Hello. Hello. And thank you for tuning in.
I'm Jordan
Kane. And you're watching on a positive note where good news does exist
today. You're tuned in to a very special episode of on a positive note.
It's our salute to service.
Join me as we salute our nation's bravest, our veterans and our military family.
November marks Military Family Month.
We want to use this episode to acknowledge their incredible sacrifice all for us.
So today, on a positive note,
we're taking a moment to celebrate those brave men and women
who fight for and defend our country and their incredible families too.
So let's take this salute to service off, shall we?
Our first story out of Long Island is all about
a World War Two veteran who's turned his love for the
American flag into a mission of honor so much so
that he's known by his community as the flag man.
Let's take a look at how this veteran makes every day.
A banner day for people on the island and beyond.
If
you're
not willing to fight for your country, why the hell should be allowed to live
there?
A love of country inspired Gerald Goldman to
answer the call to duty during World War.
I I
as a 20 year old marine corporal Goldman served as a machine gunner
and radio man on a B 25 bomber in the South Pacific.
Nearly eight decades after leaving the battlefield, the 99 year old retired
is still serving his country just in a different way.
I wanted to make a flag of my own doing his machine
guns now replaced with a brush and paint shades of red,
white and blue to create a unique rendition of
old glory out of wooden slats from old fences.
It represents the land of the free and the home of the Brave. He started 15 years ago,
fashioning flags. Betsy Ross style with 13 stars.
And that was my idea, you know, to remind people that the original, you know,
states were 13 Goldman's mission to spread patriotism and
honor the fallen one handmade banner at a time.
I got the bright idea that, you know,
I'm gonna try to give these to everybody on the block,
but I'm gonna tell them,
I don't want you to keep it in the house.
You gotta keep it outside where it can be seen within weeks.
Goldman's passion project turned Abre
Street into the most star spangled block in this Bay Shore neighborhood.
Nearly every one of the 44 homes here bears Goldman flags. I'm proud of it.
Neighbor Joe Laho
happily took one because Jerry made it. It's quite a thing.
It's homemade American made, it wasn't made in the factory.
I made something, it means something to neighbor Nancy Barrett too.
It's very special to me.
I love my flag
because he made it. I'm proud of my dad.
Goldman's son,
Arthur isn't surprised at how his father's symbols of unity
and freedom have captured the hearts of so many.
His messages. Don't, don't take it for granted.
Don't forget about it. It's there
and that you can't let that
slip away.
It's a message sealed with a sign postcard depicting Goldman's war
service on the back of each one of his creations.
650 made so far makes
me very proud, a proud veteran's unflagging patriotism,
unfurling inspiration for us all
a country to be proud of a hobby, to be proud of and an impact, to be proud of.
Just wonderful.
Well, Goldman tells us that when he's not making flags,
he loves spending time with his family,
which includes 11 grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Well, let's keep the patriotism coming, shall we?
Thanks to one group out of Connecticut,
a local Veterans Park has been decorated with a sea of red, white and blue.
The Norwalk Exchange Club is responsible for all of that red, white and blue.
You're looking at the 500 flags they set up now
because of this display.
The city has been designated a regional site for the
observance of Veterans Day by the Veterans Day National Committee.
That committee selected 66 communities
across the country which represent fitting
tributes to America's heroes and you're looking at one of them
that makes me
very proud that I'm a veteran and what we do here in Norwalk.
A lot of it is attributed to our mayor who is a veteran.
Now, this was the fourth year Norwalk was designated a regional site
and this has a real impact on veterans and military families around the community.
The city will now receive military ceremonial support from
the Department of Defense as part of this recognition.
Well, November marks Military Family Month and Veterans Day too
at one cemetery over in the garden state.
That's very apparent this all because of one man
who was surprised to learn of his very personal connection
to one of the plots at that cemetery. Take a look at this one.
John Wans came to the Prospect Hill Cemetery in West
Caldwell to put a flag on the grave of his uncle
John Senior World War 2 82nd Airborne
there. He was with Church Hill and Eisenhower.
But D day came
and he was gone. Eight days later,
he gave it all. He was only 19 years old.
I didn't know my uncle was buried here until 1982.
My father never spoke about it. I thought he was in France for the last 40 years.
He's come to honor a man. He never knew a theme which defines his visits.
Eight years ago, I came out here on uh uh Veterans Day and there were no flags here.
So I called a buddy of mine who was a navy vet.
And within about an hour he gave me 100 flags.
So began a mission to put a flag on every veteran's grave here.
All of them strangers.
I don't think so many people have family anymore. They all deserve it.
They,
they put out so much for our country that one year that there were
no flags that really got to me because if it wasn't for these guys,
we wouldn't be here.
That's why John comes here every year, twice a year. Memorial Day and Veterans Day
with dozens of flags in hand. It's a lot of work. I was here for two hours this morning,
taking care of all these flags. It's just respect for these gentlemen.
There was a shot in there of John putting pennies on the graves.
That's an old tradition to let family members know
someone's been there to honor their loved one.
Now, you know what that sound means, my friend, it's time for today's. Did you know?
Now given all this talk about old glory,
here's something you may not know about the American flag.
The colors on the flag are more than just a static, they're meaningful.
Now, according to USA gov,
the red on the American flag represents valor and bravery,
white represents purity and innocence
and the blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
So next time you see the flag flying above a school house, church or store,
remember that those stars and stripes are about so much more than meets the eye
and there you have it. Ladies and gents that today's did. You know,
military Family month and Veterans Day are times to honor, recognize
and reflect on the lives of the brave men and
women who risk their lives to keep ours safe.
Our next story helps us shine a spotlight on one American hero in particular,
we're celebrating the life and service of the nation's first female veteran
who served in secret during the revolutionary war.
Now, this one's an ode to girl power.
It was illegal for women to wear men's clothes
and the consequences could have been very severe.
Deborah Sampson was a young woman in 1782 when
she enlisted as a man in the revolutionary war.
She was very dissatisfied with their station in life.
Steve Nelson married his wife Jan in the
seventies at Sampson's childhood home in Massachusetts.
His wife wrote the book, the memoir of a female soldier 50 years ago,
but died before she was able to publish it.
The Americans
troll the Hudson river from West Point,
but the British still occupied New York City.
Samson was part of an elite infantry unit but got sick months later
and was discovered by a doctor who wrote a letter for her to resign.
The general could have got really angry
at
this, you know, fraudulent, punish her.
But it said the general got her an honorable discharge.
Nelson published his late wife's book in the spring.
He says his only wish was that his wife was alive to see it.
Well,
a big thanks to our nation's braves to our military
families as well from our team here on a positive note
and from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for your service.
And on that note, thank you for embracing all of this positivity with me.
Remember,
good news does exist and you can always be sure
to find it right here on a positive note.
I'm Jordan Kisa
and I'll see you next time.
Ok. Got it.
No.