Hermon Man Provides New Flags To Replace Those Burned by Vandals

On Monday, we brought you a story about an unfortunate incident of vandalism in Hermon, during which some residents in the area of Fuller and Billings Road and the Hermon Meadows Apartment Complex allegedly had a number of American Flags stolen from their properties and burned.

Hermon Fire Chief Frank Roma said among the flags that were stolen and burned was an American Flag that has flown at the Hermon Fire Department, and a special service flag used to honor Sgt. Bobbie Pelletier of the Penobscot County Sheriff's Department.

"The defacing of our country's flag is inexcusable. But what the vandals didn’t know is that the Blue Line service flag that they burned was flying in honor of Sgt. Bobbie Pelletier who had tragically died in a snowmobile accident last winter. He was one of OUR own. The punks who did this would have done well to know the image of a true public servant and role model he was, and that they certainly need to emulate. So it stung a little extra for us in that respect."

While Detectives with the Penobscot County Sheriff's Department are working to track down the culprits, thanks to some promising video evidence, one Hermon resident has taken it upon himself to right a wrong, and replace those two special flags.

Get our free mobile app

According to the Town of Hermon Fire Department Facebook Page, Eddie Rideout, who happens to live across the street from the Fire Department, and who also, as luck would have it owns 'World Of Flags, USA', located at 190 Ammo Industrial Park in Bangor, heard about what happened earlier this week, and wanted took it upon himself to replace those two special flags.

"Our nation's flag will never cease to be proudly flown and the Service Flag that was being flown in recognition of our brother gone too soon, Penobscot County Sheriff Sgt. Bobbie Pelletier will be proudly back in its place of honor again."

"You don't see that very often in this area anyway."

Rideout said he just couldn't believe it when he heard the news that someone had destroyed those flags.

"I heard it yesterday morning, what had happened. You see, I live right across the street from the Fire Department, so I live right there. And the flags have been flying, right there in the neighborhood for a month. I said I can't believe that someone would do this, so I thought I'd take them out a replacement flag and found out they had another flag was destroyed as well, so I went back to the shop and put it together for them and brought it out."

Rideout's company was the company the Fire Department had initially purchased the flags from, but he says he didn't do this for the flag sales. It was simply the right thing to do.

"We just don't do enough good things by chance."

Chief Roma says Rideout's act of kindness meant the world to the department and the community of Hermon.

"When Eddie came by the station and offered to replace the flags that had been destroyed it really took me back a bit. Through his company, World of Flags USA, he had provided the original flag that was being flown in Bobbie's memory. So it was almost as if he was closing the painful loop that the vandals had caused. It was just amazing and such an unexpected act of kindness."

Well done, Mr. Rideout. It's folks like you, modeling kindness and respect, that the world needs more of.