FedEx Worker Whose Dad Was a 9/11 First Responder Picks Up and Folds American Flag for Homeowner
A FedEx worker is being praised for his patriotic actions after he went out of his way to pick up and fold an American flag that had fallen at a New Jersey home, despite not having any packages to deliver there.
Chris Oslovitch was working his delivery route in Freehold on Feb. 7 when he noticed that a flagpole with an American flag had fallen over due to strong winds, CBS affiliate WLNY reported.
The FedEx driver, who said his father was a 9/11 first responder and died from cancer, told the outlet he found it impossible to drive past the fallen flag without doing anything, especially after learning how to properly fold the flag from his late dad.
“When you see something like that you can’t just drive past it and ignore it. It’s something that just caught my eye and I had to do something about it,” Oslovitch, 32, explained.
“It’s a respectful thing to do,” he added while speaking with WLNY. “The flag is never supposed to touch [the] ground. If you live in a country like this, you should be proud of where you come from.”
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Though he didn’t have any packages to personally deliver to the home, Oslovitch walked onto Rick Guerino Jr.’s lawn amid the windy weather conditions and picked up the flag, before properly folding it and placing it on the homeowner’s porch.
As he was doing so, Guerino received an alert from his Ring doorbell camera that someone was on his property, according to WLNY.
“I saw a FedEx guy coming up my driveway and I didn’t know why because I wasn’t getting a package and all of a sudden he bent down and picked up my flag,” Guerino recalled to the outlet, noting that he initially hung the flag after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Guerino later posted the footage on Facebook. The video has since gone viral, receiving over 5,800 shares. People across the nation, including Guerino, have praised Oslovitch for his commendable actions.
“I was just so stunned at the kind act he did,” Guerino told WLNY. “It was stunning. You don’t see that often.”
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Oslovitch explained to the outlet that in addition to picking up the flag as a sign of respect for his country, he also did it as a result of his upbringing and family connection.
“Both of my grandfathers served in war,” the FedEx driver said. “My father was an Essex County Sheriff’s officer, so I grew up in a pretty respectable, strict family.”
In the days since the video went viral, Guerino and Oslovitch have managed to connect and plan on meeting in person, according to WLNY. Guerino also intends on getting a new flag pole and flag for his front lawn, the outlet reported.
On Twitter Monday, FedEx praised their employee and shared the video, writing, “Today is #RandomActOfKindnessDay and we are grateful for team members who spread kindness around every day.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, a FedEx spokesperson added: “FedEx Ground is proud of the many contributions our team members make to our communities every day. We commend the actions of this service provider employee, who went above and beyond by carefully and respectfully securing the flag on the homeowner’s behalf.”
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As for Oslovitch, he said he hopes to one day become a police officer like his late father, according to Fox News and WLNY.
“The flag should never be desecrated like that so you have to stop, you have to do something whether people are watching or not,” Oslovitch said on Fox & Friends Weekend. “Usually when you see something that you know isn’t right, some people just think nothing of it, somebody else would do it and they just keep on going by.”
“I like to think that I had a very good upbringing and I’d like to pass on that positive image,” he added to WLNY.
