Riga, NY--Todd Rapp loves to go treasure hunting in area thrift shops, saying he would love to end up on Antique Roadshow with his finds.
But this was something he never expected to find for sale on a store shelf --especially not for $6.99!
"I wasn't looking for it, there it was on the shelf. I thought it was just the case. I opened it and there it was. A burial flag. My heart kind of sank."
Rapp immediately thought of the family who received this flag at the funeral for their loved one who passed away. He knows how much these flags mean to families of veterans.
Perhaps it got lost in the shuffle when they moved and got donated by mistake. He knew he couldn't just leave it there, so he bought it and took it home.
Now he wants to track down the family it belongs to.
Rapp told us: "I've called several organizations nobody as a way to track it down."
He became emotional when thinking of what this flag meant to a family. He says he has always been patriotic and loves his country. Though he didn't serve in the military, his son Glenn served two tours in Iraq and his late father-in-law fought in Korea.
Rapp bought the flag at the Saver store in Henrietta. We asked the manager if they could help track down the owner. He told us he will let us know if anyone returns asking for the flag back.
We will bring you that reunion if the owner of the flag is found. Todd Rapp says it would be a privilege to return the flag.
"If I can't find the owner, I will keep it as a tribute to my unknown soldier."
