Community Corner
Police Applaud Wayne Valley Football Player Who Carried Flags In Support Of Fallen Officers, Veterans
Co-captain Jake Pluta carried flags in support of law enforcement personnel and a flag that had been flown at Ground Zero in NYC.
WAYNE, N.J. — Wayne Valley football star Jake Pluta has earned appreciation from the police department for carrying two special flags onto the field before two of his team's games this season, including the sectional championship game at MetLife Stadium.
Pluta, a center and one of the team's co-captains, carried a thin blue line American flag before the Indians' game against Lakeland High School.
"This young man took a stand to support the efforts of law enforcement that provides public safety," said Wayne Police Detective Capt. Laurence Martin.
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Pluta carried another American flag out onto the field before the team's sectional championship game against Wayne Hills High School at MetLife Stadium Sunday. That flag, police said, carries "a tremendous amount of history," Martin said. It was flown in war zones in Iraq in 2008, at Ground Zero in New York City and in Afghanistan in 2011, and is now displayed at MetLife Stadium. Wayne Police Officer Chris Carbone, a major in the United States Army Reserves, gave Pluta the flag.
"This honoring of our flag and our country is usually appreciated during our yearly celebrations honoring our veterans," Martin said. "This display of patriotism is the epitome of the courage displayed by so many dedicated people in our township each and every day."
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Photos:
Co-captain Jake Pluta of Wayne Valley High School carries thin blue Line flag onto field against Lakeland High School.
Jake Pluta (far left) carries an American flag Officer Chris Carbone gave him while leading the Wayne Valley High School football team on to the field of MetLife Stadium before the state sectional championship game against Wayne Hills High School Sunday.
Maj. Chris Carbone (left) holds the flag up while serving in Afghanistan on Sept. 11, 2011.
The flag flying at Ground Zero in New York City in 2011.
— Photos courtesy of Wayne Police Department
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