Grandmother laments theft of honor flag

A military flag hung in honor of a Latrobe woman's grandson was stolen from her home over the weekend.

According to Latrobe police, the 3-by-5-foot U.S. Army Ranger flag was taken from the railing on the back porch of Mary Dix, 1529 Grant Ave.

Dix had flown the flag since August in honor of her grandson, Blaine Weiers, also of Latrobe. Weiers, 25, is an Army Ranger serving in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. He is a 1996 graduate of Greater Latrobe High School.

Dix purchased the flag at Fort Bragg, N.C.

"It's just sentimental," Dix said Monday. "It's not the (monetary) value of it. I wanted to fly it while he was gone and leave it up until he returned. Somebody stole it. I can't imagine why."

Police said the black flag has "Ranger" in gold letters, a skull with a green Ranger hat and two rifles as crossed bones, along with additional wording.

The flag was stolen between Friday night and Saturday morning, police said.

Dix paid a similar tribute to her grandson when he was deployed to Afghanistan last year. Weiers was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan from July through December 2002.

'When he came home, I gave (the flag) to him as a souvenir," his grandmother said.

Dix, who hasn't heard from her grandson "in quite some time," had hoped to do the same this time. The Ranger flag has sentimental value because it came from Fort Bragg, where Weiers was stationed before shipping out to Iraq.

"That's the one I want," Dix said. "That's the one I put up whenever he left."

Police are asking residents for help in locating the flag and to report any information to the police station at 724-537-5526.