For many Americans, June 14, Flag Day, comes and goes with little recognition of the holiday which dates back to the late 1800s.
But pedestrians around Toomer's Corner were made aware of the occasion this Flag Day thanks to some military veterans who made great sacrifices for their country.
Several members of the local Twin Cities 95 Disabled American Veterans chapter commemorated Flag Day by passing out hundreds of flags and informational pamphlets to passers-by in the busy area of downtown Auburn.
"The view of the flag by the veteran is different from what you and I may see," said Toby Warren, founder of the National Leadership Congress, a partner of the DAV. "When they see that flag, that may have been their only sense of hope in eventually coming back home. The flag represents life."
The local veterans were joined at Toomer's Corner by Mobile resident David Riley, the DAV's 2010 National Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year and Alabama DAV commander.
"To me, the flag is a living symbol of our nation," Riley said. "I have friends who have given parts of their bodies in defense of what the flag represents. It's a personal responsibility for me to come out and recognize this day."
Riley, a Coast Guard aviation survival technician, lost all four limbs and several internal organs to a bacterial infection in 1997. After spending weeks in a coma, Riley overcame the infection's onslaught and made what doctors called a miraculous push towards physical therapy.
"Disabled veterans do not want to be defined by their disabilities," Warren said. "David Riley definitely is not defined by having no arms or legs. The intent of today is to celebrate what the flag means to all of us and those who have sacrificed."
Riley was presented with a proclamation on the behalf of Auburn Mayor Bill Ham. The proclamation thanked the DAV members for honoring their country on Flag Day and declared the day Disabled Veterans Day in the City of Auburn.
"It has been phenomenal today," said Eugene Benford, Twin Cities DAV commander and Iraq War veteran. "We've done great in trying to reach people as they come by...we have covered every corner down here."
Benford said the decision to commemorate Flag Day on a local level was made just two weeks beforehand. Through the teamwork of the DAV and its partners, the event was finalized in just a few days.
The Twin Cities 98 chapter is currently planning to come back to the campus area in August for the Mobile Service Van, a unique way to reach out to veterans and their families.
"Veterans can file their disabilities there," Benford said. "Those who are students or children of veterans can come by and apply for their school benefits, too."
The Twin Cities DAV chapter meets the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Army Reserve Center, located at 2100 Pepperell Parkway in Opelika.
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