July 17, 2015
Noah Smith/Facebook
Ben Kinsey waves an American flag on a South Carolina bridge.
A photo of a veteran paying tribute to the four U.S. Marines killed by a gunman in Chattanooga, Tennessee has gone viral.
South Carolina resident Noah Smith captured the photo on his drive home from work Thursday when he spotted Ben Kinsey on the I-20 overpass. The man was standing on the bridge holding an American flag.
"I wonder what he was doing turned around, parked my car got out and walked up to him and said, 'Sir this is really awesome of you but why are you doing this?'" Smith wrote in a Facebook post. "He replies with 'I'm standing out here for the four Marines killed today in TN. You know they can survive combat and come home during a peaceful time and get killed.'"
The two continued to talk. Kinsey told Smith he served in 1970 and that he planned to stay out there for four hours – one for each fallen Marine.
Kinsey said he stands on the bridge for 11 hours every year on September 11.
"I told him thank you for everything," Smith wrote. "I left with 'I know you didn't hear this in 1970, but welcome home.'"
