Veteran needs help finding the proper owners of military flags he discovered in a storage facility
When a storage company was shut down by the state of Colorado, people had limited time to pick up their possessions before the contents were thrown out. One family claims it lost $72,000 worth of belongings stored in Special Ops Storage and Moving warehouse, according to KDVR in Denver. However, some things that were nearly lost were priceless.
Pete Mikulin, a Navy veteran, was hired to help clean up what was left in the storage pods. It was there that he found a military flag belonging to another Navy veteran. Now, according to KDVR, he’s desperate to find the rightful owner — but he needs help.
As a man who spent 12 years serving America, Mikulin understands the importance of the American burial flag. “It’s difficult. It’s hard for me,” Mikulin told the news outlet. “Somebody is missing this. Absolutely.”
To Mikulin, these aren’t just flags and military pins; they represent people who were willing to sacrifice their life for their country.
“We found a burial flag. A U.S. Navy burial flag for a chief petty officer,” Mikulin said. “Navy chief is a real big deal in the Navy.”
The burial flag displays the name Larry Michael Rogers on the back. Rogers served in the Navy for 25 years.
Mikulin also found an American flag and certificate that belongs to U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Christopher Cothron. The sergeant sacrificed his life in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
“It’s an act of gratitude, so he did something special in Afghanistan to earn and deserve that,” Mikulin said.
He hopes to return the belongings to the veterans’ loved ones. If anyone recognizes the names, KDVR is asking people to email reporter Kristin Haubrich (her email is listed at the bottom of the KDVR article).
“I’m incredibly emotional right now, but I’d like to find the people that these belong to. These things belong to these soldiers,” Mikulin said.
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