SALT LAKE CITY -- The National Honor Flag is a much loved symbol, but no one wants to see it travel to their town.
That’s because Chris Heisler, CEO of the National Honor Network and caretaker of the Honor Flag, takes it to the places where a police officer, firefighter or member of the U.S. Military is being mourned for death in the line of duty.
The flag is on its way to Utah after the shooting death of Unified Police Officer Doug Barney.
“It's not a number, it's not a statistic. These officer’s families become a part of our family,” Heisler said.
Barney was killed in the line of duty on Sunday morning when he responded to a traffic accident in Holladay and was shot by Cory Lee Henderson, police say.
Heisler said the flag doesn’t arrive alone. It comes with a promise from his organization that they will pay funeral expenses for the fallen officer, and provide ongoing support in the form of travel money to memorials and volunteer help from people who have experienced similar losses.
“It's a relationship that starts now and will continue and there's not an end in sight,” Heisler said.
