A pristine cotton American flag found in the closet of a public housing unit in Paris, Tenn. with six boxing medals tucked inside has confounded the close-knit town, and one man is on a journey to find out where it came from, according to USA Today.
"I’ve struck out every time," said resident Neely Owens of his pursuit – he’s knocked on many doors, called many people and driven hundreds of miles to find out. "I’d be batting 1.000 if I could find the owners of this. For this family, this is an endearment and some family needs to have this because whoever it was was an accomplished boxer.”
“I know what it took to get these medals,” said Neely, a retired boxer. “And I know what it took just to get through bootcamp.”
The flag was found over the last year.
One medal reads “LBC Junior Olympic Championship” and has a USA/ABF Junior Olympics logo.
Many are moved by the flag, and Derek Moon, a small business owner who volunteers as a youth boxing coach at a gym in a mid-century Ford dealership in town, says he’ll hang the flag and medals on the wall of the gym to serve as an inspiration for young fighters.
"I see so much blood and sweat and tears and time put into each individual bout, it’s a shame it doesn't belong to somebody," Moon said.
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