GASTONIA, N.C. -- A veteran in Gastonia is missing his Marine Corps flag after he said someone stole it off the pole in his front yard.
Ace Beam served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War era.
"Some people like the Yankees, and I love the Marine Corps,” Beam said.
The 72-year-old is working to build a display in his front lawn with flags from different military branches, including the Marine Corps.
Beam said between January 22 and 23, someone took the Marine Corps flag. The American flag and Christian flag that were flying alongside it were left untouched.
"They took something, I won't say sacred, but a lot of people died, you know,” Beam said.
He filed a police report with Gastonia Police Department, but so far, the flag hasn’t turned up and neither has a suspect.
"If they catch him, I hope enough people find out what he had done and get his picture somewhere,” Beam said. “And so somebody will say that's the guy that stole that Marine's flag.”
For now, Beam said he is going to wait to replace his Marine Corps flag to see if the old one turns up. If not, he said he’ll continue with the project on his front lawn.
He still has several other flags from military branches that he said he plans to put out.
"I just want the public to recognize this country and the guys that served this country,” Beam added.
If you have any information about this incident, contact the Gastonia Police Department.