NORTHVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Hofner family recently sent their decades-old flag to American Flags Express in Butler, Wisconsin, for repairs ahead of the July 4 holiday.
The flag was recently sent back to the metro Detroit family and they are happy with the repairs.
Watch Megan Lee's video report below:
"Look at it. Do you guys remember the big rips at the bottom?" a family member said.
"Oh yeah, it's all gone," Lance Hofner responded.
The 48-star flag carries American history and a family legacy.
"There's a whole lot more behind that flag than just the flag," Hofner said.
The flag dates back to the 1950s, when the family's uncle received it as Nash-Kelvinator — a home appliance company — merged with American Motors Corporation. But the flag's history stretches back even further to World War II.
"They make refrigerators. But we didn't realize that at war time, they converted things to make war time material," Hofner said.
Detroit played a central role in the war effort during the early 1940s.
"Detroit and the Detroit area was such a huge part of World War II's effort and being the arsenal of democracy, which is what FDR called it. This was part of it," Kurt Hofner said.
According to the family's uncle, the flag flew atop the Nash-Kelvinator building for years — during the same period four of the Hofner brothers' uncles were serving in the military. One of those brothers did not come home.
"They laid down everything just to go to protect everybody," Kurt Hofner said.
Lance and Kurt Hofner grew up watching their father hang the flag each year.
"And so for years, he would hang it in Dearborn Heights. And he would hang it at one point from the tree in front of our house to the next-door neighbor's tree," Lance Hofner said.
The flag eventually made its way to the family's lake house in Irish Hills.
"It just means so much more now that it was part of the U.S. history," Lance Hofner said.
The family hopes the flag will be passed down for generations to come.
"If you can pass that to the next generation to how much America means to everybody, and to us and to them. And they will have kids, and then someday they will go my old man got this flag restored and passed it down to me," Kurt Hofner said.
American Flags Express included a note with the returned flag.
"Dear Hofner Family, it was a delight and honor to restore this piece of history," the note said. "As you hang this flag, we hope our restoration reflect the historical sentiments and value of this heirloom."
The restored flag will be displayed at the family's lake house in Irish Hills this Fourth of July weekend.
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