Store owner responds after viral photo apparently shows man standing on American flag

McKENZIE, Tenn. — A picture shared more than 20,000 times on Facebook shows a man apparently standing on the American flag while working outside a McKenzie convenience store.

Paint tape still hangs from the lights where the work took place.

The owner of the Exxon Food Shop says he couldn’t believe it.

“I was very, very angry, and I was sick to my stomach,” the owner said. “I’m a U.S. citizen. I love this country. I would do anything for this country. I’d give my life for this country.”

The owner says he didn’t hire the person seen in the photo.

“We hired an employee’s husband to come and paint. Well, he was on a time crunch and it had to be done, so he hired two other people to come and help him out,” the owner said.

The contractor, who didn’t want to be identified, says something like this has never happened before.

“Well, I had to hire a couple of guys to help me paint. Well, one of the guys was standing on the American flag, but as soon as I was notified I had to terminate him,” the contractor said.

The store manager, who also didn’t want to be identified, says things have only gotten worse since the picture was posted.

“We have gotten phone calls from everywhere, phone calls ranging from angry customers to phone calls about them wanting to blow up the store, burn it down, come and trash it, everything,” she said.

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News spoke with a veteran at the store. He said when he saw the picture of the man standing on the flag, it made him angry, and he wants more done about it.

“I’m deeply sorry that I apologize this had to happen at our site, and I wish I could take it back, and could’ve had controlled it and made him stop before he had done it,” the owner said.

There are also signs on the doors making it clear that the man in the picture was not hired by Exxon.

They are also offering free coffee and fountain drinks to veterans as an apology for the incident.