A Million Stories: JD Cunningham and the Flag That Brings the Neighbors

More than once, JD Cunningham has been woken up in the middle of the night by police at his front door.

Not because something’s wrong at his house. Because they need help with a neighbor. Because there’s an emergency down the street and they’re looking for someone who can lend a hand.

“They actually know that they can find help if they have a problem,” JD says. “They’ve come to me first, because they know that a person flying an American flag will respond well to a policeman at the front door.”

JD flies his flag 24/7, in accordance with the U.S. Flag Code. It’s not decoration. It’s a signal: of who he is, what he stands for, and what kind of neighbor he chooses to be.

A Navy veteran, JD spent 30 years as a consultant, often helping companies move manufacturing overseas. He’s seen firsthand how globalization works. He understands the economics. And somewhere along the way, his perspective shifted.

“I spent a lot of time all over the world doing things for other countries,” he says, “and neglecting, perhaps, the country I was brought up in. It’s different now.” 

These days, JD is particular about where his flag comes from. American-made matters to him — not as a slogan, but as a choice. “I’m willing to spend the extra dollars required to keep employment in North America.” 

He calls himself “a product of the greatest generation.” His family served. His friends served. The flag outside his door is a memory of those sacrifices — and a daily reminder of what he believes he owes.

When he received a new Freedom & Glory flag recently, he noticed the difference immediately. “The quality is head and shoulders above,” he says. He knows the practical stuff too. That you need a good nylon or polyester for outdoor weather, not cotton. That if you’re flying it day and night, in good weather and bad, the material matters.

But for JD, it’s never just about the fabric.

“The freedom is representative of what those of us who have served have given to the country,” he says. “And the glory? That’s the opportunity to give back. To volunteer. To be the kind of neighbor who answers the door at 2 a.m.”

His flag flies around the clock. And apparently, the whole neighborhood knows what that means.