A Vietnam veteran, who has been honored with the prestigious Purple Heart, was left devastated after a thief stole the American flag he proudly displayed on his porch in California.

James White, 85, had adorned his porch with the flag as a tribute to his 20 years of service in the U.S. Army and to honor the sacrifices of his fellow soldiers. The flag was more than just a decoration; it was a symbol of his dedication and patriotism.

One morning in January, White discovered that his cherished flag had been taken right off his Sacramento home’s doorstep, along with the pole it was mounted on.

Home security footage revealed a man, described as white, wearing a security vest, black hat, and medical mask, as he removed the flag and pole, disappearing down the street. This footage was shared with local news station KCRA.

“It deeply saddens me that someone would do such a thing, to steal a flag,” White told the station, expressing his disappointment and heartbreak.

“I fought for that flag. I mean that flag was there before I fought, but I fought for that flag. It’s an American flag, it’s for the United States. For everybody,” White added in an impassioned plea.

White’s daughter, Daisy Hernandez, said that the theft was a flagrant “violation” that “really hurt him.”

Hernandez explained that White is already dealing with more than his fair “share of health conditions,” including stage 4 prostate cancer and chronic kidney disease.

“They have no idea who that flag belonged to or the story behind the man it belonged to. It’s just not right,” she told the outlet.

In his heyday, White was a tanker in the Fourth of the 68th Armor Regiment. He was briefly stationed in Germany before he was relocated to Vietnam at the start of the war, which spanned most of his military career.

White candidly told the outlet that they certainly “wouldn’t want to be” in Vietnam during the war — on account of the freakishly large snakes his unit found in the forests.

After White retired from the military, he spent another two decades working for the US Postal Service.

His family filed a police report in hopes of tracking down the thief and the wayward flag.