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HEBER CITY — Dozens of Wasatch High School students met together Friday to celebrate the American flag in response to the burning of a flag in the school's parking lot the day before.
Friday morning, about 30 students met outside of Wal-Mart in Heber City, waving an assortment of American flags, and then again outside the school. Some even wore attire patterned with the iconic stars and stripes.
Samantha Emmanuel, one of the participating students, said she and the others were appalled at the vandalism.
"There are thousands and thousands of soldiers (in) a couple different countries right now fighting for you to come to school and then you just burned (the flag) up like that?" Emmanuel said.
The flag, which was in a truck bed, was burned Thursday afternoon in the school parking lot, according to the Wasatch County School District. The person responsible is a Wasatch High student and they are cooperating with investigators, the school district reported.
"At the conclusion of the investigation, the student will be disciplined in accordance with district policy," school district spokesman John Moss said in a statement.
Attempts to obtain comment from Heber City police were unsuccessful.
Wasastch High student Ben Schofield said it was his flag and truck that were targeted. He called the burning "very disrespectful."
"Someone just made a poor decision at that time and I just think (my flag) was (in) the wrong place at the wrong time," Schofield said.
The truck also suffered some damage in the fire.
Schofield and the other students who carried American flags Friday made sure to answer the vandalism with even more obvious expressions of patriotism. Emmanuel said some students flew flags from their cars and received an encouraging reaction from Heber City residents.
"Just driving around town and getting all the honks, it's amazing the feeling you get afterwards," she said.
Though the students enjoyed the display of unity, some remain baffled at why anyone would vandalize the flag.
"I honestly don't understand why somebody would do that. It's really disrespectful," said Wasatch High student Tiersa Trump.
Contributing: Ashley Moser
