Dave Jackson, a 20-year military veteran known to locals as “The Flag Runner” or “The Flag Man,” announced last week that he has crossed the finish line after 12 years.

The 59-year-old marathon runner from Butler Township was famous for his jogs down Route 68 and Whitestown Road, carrying a four-foot American flag with him.

After his Memorial Day run, Jackson posted on Facebook that he was retiring from the tradition.

“After struggling on my annual Memorial Day run, it’s clear that my knees can’t do it anymore,” he said. “It’s been an amazing 12 years for me in the Butler County area. Made friends ... honored the brave, the fallen and the serving. Most importantly, it’s refocused me on how lucky we are to live in such a great country.”

Reflecting on his journey, Jackson said what he’s taken away is the love and support from the community of Butler.

“It blows me away, the kind of community here, they’ve been so wonderful to me. Such nice, nice people. It’s been such a joy to represent Butler,” he said.

Jackson served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years and participated in the Desert Storm campaign. He said he wasn’t a runner, or even a jock, until after his service.

His journey started when he was anticipating fitting into a flight suit for a skydiving trip.

“I started walking the block around my house. Walking led to jogging, and jogging went to running,” he said. “I didn’t carry the flag until a year later, after my first marathon in 2010.”

He only carried the flag on major holidays such Memorial Day, Flag Day and Patriot Day in the beginning.

“I was at a time in my life when I was regrouping thoughts, thinking about the foundation of our country. In the Air Force, we call it regrouping when you re-evaluate things,” he said.

In the end, the flag-carrying was to honor Jackson’s “military brothers and sisters.”

“It was to better myself, to rethink and rethank,” he said. “To honor the fallen and the serving.”

Though the flag he carried had to be replaced over the years, Jackson’s running route stayed consistent for most of the race.

Depending on his mood, he would run nine to 13 miles along Route 68.

“At my peak, I’d run to Evans City, or to Harmony and Zelienople,” he said.

Since he started flag running, Jackson said he noticed more flags pop up in yards and on houses along the route.

“I wasn’t intentionally trying to jack up patriotism. I think that was a side effect of the whole thing,” he said.

Overall, the community reacted positively to seeing him run. Some offered him water, honked car horns or asked to take a picture with him.

“The school buses were amazing,” Jackson said. “The elementary kids would wave out the windows. The kids at the child care center on (Route) 68 always came to the fence and waved to me. It was amazing.”

Former and current members of military sometimes would salute him, he added.

“I figured I should be saluting them. My protocol kicked in,” he said. “People stopped and thanked me, people asked why I did it. I had a line where I’d say, ‘because I can’t find a trained eagle to fly over my shoulder.’”

Jackson would also use the opportunity to quiz people on American history.

“Every once in a while, before I’d break into why I was running, I’d say, ‘I’ll tell you my story if you can tell me why the flag colors are red, white and blue,’ or ‘What document the Bill of Rights was in,’ basic questions you learn in school,” he said. “Unfortunately, most times, people didn’t know.”

Eventually, Jackson said he had to switch up his route.

“There was a time where there were mean people. I couldn’t do the same route and had to shake it up. You can only duck a slushie thrown at you so many times,” he said. “People would play chicken with me along the highway ... some people have no idea your intent, or they assume a political party, and they decide to yell at you.”

Save those exceptions, the community feedback has been 99.5% positive through the whole experience, according to Jackson. He even made close friends.

Chookie Bennetti was once such friend. Jackson said Bennetti dubbed him “The Flag Man.”

“He stopped me in 2015 and said, ‘Hey, I see you every day.’ He asked if I wanted to come in and have a glass of wine. He was such a wonderful man. We became close friends. He was one of my biggest advocates,” he said.

In the days since the announcement, Jackson said he already misses his runs terribly.

“It tore me up when I found out,” he said. “I wasn’t a jock until my late 40s, early 50s, and last year the pain came on pretty quick. I can’t pound the pavement anymore.”

Jackson informed his Facebook followers, as well as his friends, of his retirement on a neighborhood communication app called Nextdoor. He received nearly 120 comments of gratitude for his status as a community symbol.

“Thank you for the smiles. It’s been a pleasure seeing you running around the area over the past several years,” said one comment.

“Thank you for your commitment to spread patriotism in our local area,” another said.

Jackson said he was moved by each response, and expressed gratitude to Butler as a whole.

“The kindness of folks in the area is incredible,” he said. “I want to thank the community for the support and kindness and waves and honks and occasional bottles of water. I already miss it terribly.”

Though he’s through with running, Jackson said this may not be the last time people see him with the Stars and Stripes.

“The Flag Man may not be totally done. There might be a new format. I’ll leave it at that. There’s something in the works,” he said. “I might not be totally done. We’ll see.”