Display of patriotism

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Roy Brook, who some might affectionately call the “Flag Guy,” can often be found on the side of the road or at community events holding the American flag.

Brook was at the Vestavia Hills Police Department when they dedicated the ground for their new monument to fallen police officers. Brook has gone to sporting events, such as the SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, and regularly goes to American Village in Montevallo. He can often be found at major intersections or along highways such as U.S. 31, and in an election year, he’ll encourage people to exercise their American right to vote.

But he was also there at the funeral of fallen Birmingham police officer Wytasha Carter, and he was there when 21-year-old Palmerdale firefighter Brenden Pierce died on the job in mid-February. Brook didn’t know either of the two men, but simply wanted to do what he set out to do three years ago: help people, even and especially if he doesn’t know them.

“I have a heart for different situations, especially those who have lost loved ones,” Brook said. “I want them to know someone they don’t know loves them.”

Brook started carrying the flag on Memorial Day in 2016, standing at the intersection of U.S. 280 and Interstate 459, not the best choice, given there wasn’t much traffic, he said. Brook said he chose that spot when he “just threw a dart at the board.”

Still, he received mostly positive feedback from people, he said. Many appreciated his gesture of patriotism, he said. One man, however, decided to yell at him and say what he was doing wasn’t changing anything. Still, Brook said he believes his efforts are causing positive change.

“I appreciate the attention it’s drawn, because it draws attention to what I’m doing,” Brook said.

Brook said he wasn’t even aware people knew who he was when he started, but people have gotten more familiar with him over the years, and now, when he’s out on the road, people will stop and wave, blow their horn and yell for him, he said.

His efforts to be involved in the community and to wave the flag all over the greater Birmingham area have opened up doors to meet a lot of different people, Brook said. 

Brook, who lives in Bessemer, started by focusing on Hoover, as he knows a lot of people there, but he spends time all over the greater Birmingham area. He now has developed good relationships with city and government leaders, as well as local police departments, he said.

Years after traumatic events happen, like car accidents or tornadoes, Brook can often be found standing in the spot with the flag, marking his commitment to not forget what happened there.

Several years ago, a family in Oak Grove lost two children in a car accident, and Brook, who didn’t know the family, went to the service, stood off so as to not distract from the funeral, and simply held the American flag in honor of the deceased. Years after meeting the family, who was appreciative of his efforts, he continues to keep up with them through social media, he said.

“It’s very humbling,” Brook said. “... I have a heart for other people in loss.”

He’s not always able to make contact with the family, but if he can, he does, and when possible, he’ll keep up with them, like he does with the Oak Grove family.

While many people have moved on with their lives, Brook is there for those who are affected long after the services are over. He stands for the stranger he never met, whose world has stopped and been torn apart by loss, because he knows what it is to lose loved ones.

At just 17 years old, Brook lost his parents, and in an unimaginably painful situation for a teenager, he remembers the help given by loved ones during that time. He realized the importance of being there for other people in difficult times.

Brook recalls a time where he attended the funeral of a young person in Pelham who had passed away. As he always does, he held the flag and stood at a distance. He left early, and only later found out the mother of the child had tried to find him and thank him, he said.

Brook’s ability to connect with people began before he began hoisting the flag at various events. Before retiring, Brook drove a truck for 22 years, visiting every state except Hawaii, and began making furniture, something he continues to do today.

“It’s been quite a trip,” Brook said.

At military funerals, Brook, along with other Patriot Guard Riders, forms a flag line, and those carrying the casket will often pass through them, he said. The riders will stand during the ceremony, but at times, Brook has stayed standing while the casket is being lowered, long after many have left. Even if the PGR can’t be there, Brook will often attend military funerals in order to show respect for the family’s hero, he said.

A military funeral is an emotional affair, he said, with the presence of military personnel, the playing of taps and the giving of the American flag to the surviving family, Brook said. “It’s very moving.”

Brook isn’t a veteran, but he unashamedly loves his country, and those who fight to make it better, including his son, Jack Aaron, who serves in the Army.

“I’m proud of him,” Brook said. “... [I think of him] all the time.”

Brook has another son, Adam, as well as two grandchildren. He uses his building skills to make things for his family in his spare time, when he’s not carrying the flag.

During his time carrying the flag across the area, Brook said he’s learned to be careful, and he tries to be safety-minded. 

“I’ve learned to be careful where I stand,” Brook said. “I’ve learned people’s habits.”

Sometimes, people are shy in coming up to him, but once someone comes over to talk, others follow, he said.

He also has learned how much people appreciate what he’s doing.

“I get a lot of, ‘There should be more people doing what you do,’” Brook said. “... People seem to be hungry for a display of patriotism.”