Student Notices American Flag Has Fallen to the Ground in Front of His High School — and the Action He Takes Next Has Gone Viral

When 18-year-old Cole Dotson was driving by Continental (Ohio) High School on Sunday, he noticed the American flag in front of his school had slipped down the pole and fallen to the ground.

So Dotson — who's also class president — exited his car and called his grandmother for help.

You see, Dotson knew from his days as a Boy Scout that the Stars and Stripes should never touch the ground — so he walked over and picked up the flag.

He also knew his grandmother, who works at one of the schools in the area, was his best bet in finding someone to come over to the school to take care of the flag while he remained there holding it, WJW-TV reported.

Dotson's mother, Rhonda Ordway Pester, posted a photo to her Facebook page of her son holding the flag:

Her post as of Friday morning had been shared nearly 60,000 times, and Cole was among those who shared it — although he offered a unique take on it all: "Thank you all for the support! I didn’t intend to get recognized for what I did. But I am sure glad to see the support and respect for the flag. I love this flag and this country. God bless America."

Joel Mengerink, superintendent of Continental schools, told CNN Dotson's actions were nothing unusual for him.

“Something like this wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for Cole," Mengerink told the network, adding Dotson is slated to speak at graduation Sunday. "He takes great pride in our country, and he knows how to show proper respect to the flag."

And what will Dotson be doing after he receives his diploma?

Mengerink told CNN that Dotson met with Marine Corps reps this week about joining, and Dotson posted on his Facebook page Thursday that he "got some good news. My ship date to go to boot camp has been bumped up to June 6th — super pumped."