Frank Ray Maldonado Sr. doesn't exactly know how it all happened. In 1998, he'd been grieving the loss of his son, Frank Jr., when the U.S. Army presented him with a flag in his son's honor. A second flag was evidently presented to one of two people. One possibility was that the second flag was presented to Frank Jr.'s sister, Ann Marie, who doesn't remember being given the folded flag in its shadow box. The other person it could have been given to was Frank Jr.'s fiancee. They were engaged shortly before young Maldonado's death. Both Ms. Maldonado and the former fiancee lived in Gainesville, Fla., at that time. Ann Marie's apartment was burglarized, so if she had the flag, it may have disappeared then.

Fast forward 11 years. The flag and shadow box turned up in some trash in Gainesville. A good Samaritan found the box and turned it in to the local Veterans Affairs office. Danielle Pollard, who works at the Veterans office, researched and found Frank Jr.'s family here in Altus.

A special re-presentation of the flag was made today to Frank Sr. and his wife, Juanita in honor of their son, Pvt. Frank Ray Maldonado Jr., who is interred here at the Altus City Cemetery.