Prattville veteran becomes 784th recipient of Flags for Vets flagpole

Brent Deaver’s Prattville home became the 784th place in the nation to receive a Flags for Vets flagpole, a gesture that turned a quiet backyard installation into a public recognition of military service. Jamie Popwell, the group’s founder and president, visited Deaver’s home on April 11 to install the pole and mark another milestone in a mission that has grown far beyond its Auburn roots.

The visit was personal as much as ceremonial. Flags for Vets was built around healing, remembrance and recognition for veterans, and Popwell has long described the work as a way to honor service with a visible symbol that carries emotional weight for families, neighbors and the veterans themselves. In Prattville, that symbol now stands at Deaver’s home, tying a national effort to one local veteran’s front yard.

Popwell launched Flags for Vets on February 1, 2017, after returning to Auburn following years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, law enforcement and security work overseas. He served in the Marine Corps from September 1982 to September 1985, later worked as a police officer, narcotics agent and SWAT team member, and spent time as a security contractor in Iraq, Africa and Afghanistan. He has said the idea began with his own flagpole and the sense of purpose it gave him during recovery from PTSD symptoms, then expanded as friends, neighbors and other veterans asked for help.

What started as a plan to install a few flagpoles quickly became a broader mission. Flags for Vets says it reached its first-year goal of 200 installations and now has honored more than 771 veterans with flagpoles and flags in 30 states, including 16 Medal of Honor recipients. The nonprofit says it relies on donations and support from groups such as the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, the Smeed Foundation of Idaho, the Gary Sinise Foundation and the Alabama Marines Foundation.

The Prattville installation also underscored how deeply local the mission has become. Popwell, who was named National Veteran of the Year in 2023 by the National Veterans Day Foundation, has built a statewide and national record of recognition one home at a time. In Brent Deaver’s neighborhood, that recognition arrived in a form that will stay visible every day, with a flagpole standing as a reminder of service, sacrifice and the people who choose to honor it.