St. George man honors local vets, first responders with wooden American flags made by lightning

Written by Chris Reed
June 21, 2023

ST. GEORGE — Jason Shuck has already left a legacy around Southern Utah. Cable TV customers notice it every time they turn their television or go on the internet. But it is another family legacy that now spurns Shuck on — a legacy that involved serving alongside General George S. Patton in World War II. This legacy he hopes to leave for the children and grandchildren of Southern Utah veterans and first responders. 

Jason Shuck in his garage with wooden American flags he is creating and donating to veterans, police officers and firefighters, St. George , Utah, May 15, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Shuck, 58, is making American flags for veterans, police officers and firefighters in Southern Utah. But not just any flags, these flags are made of wood, covered in a solid resin and meant to last for generations. 

Shuck was forced, at the start of the pandemic, to retire for medical reasons as the manager of cabling for TDS. The flags he creates in his St. George garage are a chance to give back to those who serve the country and the community. 

Other than maybe an old uniform, a dingy medal and a photo or two, Shuck said veterans don’t have much to pass down to the younger generations. 

Shuck’s grandfather, Gilbert Hanover Cobb, served in World War II as part of the 2nd Armored Division — known more famously by its nickname “Hell on Wheels.” As part of the division that helped liberate France and entered Germany at the close of the war, Shuck said Cobb was a personal secretary to Patton, recording his strategies and serving as one of his drivers.

All Shuck has as a reminder of his grandfather’s service are a few photographs. Even that may be more than what many children of veterans who served in recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have, he said.

“I have a bunch of pictures of when my grandfather got into Germany and took over. We have that, but a lot of kids won’t,” Shuck, father of five with 17 grandchildren — with one more on the way, said.

He is creating the wooden flags with the name of the person who served in the military or as an emergency responder as something that can be passed down and remembered.

Image of Gilbert Hanover Cobb, grandfather of St.. George resident Jason Shuck, driving the standing Gen. George S. Patton as part of the 2nd Armored Division in World War II, Germany, 1944 | Photo courtesy of Jason Shuck

“These will last for a long time because I use epoxy,” Shuck said. “I thought, why not build these and give them to the vets or first responders so they can give it to their grandchildren?”

Shuck doesn’t charge for the flags, which range between 12-by-12 inches to 30-by-30 inches. If a veteran or first responder doesn’t reach out to him, he seeks them out. Many times, he’ll notice someone wearing a cap noting their veteran, officer or firefighter status.

“I’ve caught a lot of veterans or seen a lot of veterans at Walmart or something and I’ll stop them and ask them, ‘Hey, did you serve?’” Shuck said. “I give him my business card and I tell him, ‘Look, I would love to make you a flag.’”

Shuck takes their information, says “I’ll see you in a month,” and gets to work. He says many times, they don’t believe him and the no cost aspect to the art piece. 

“I watch some of these military people that don’t expect anything back, see this and it makes them weep,” Shuck said. “I’m glad that I can do this for others and make them feel special.”

A survivor

Shuck didn’t have a chance to serve himself, though he has an army lieutenant and a captain as brothers. He is still a survivor.

Shuck established much of the underground video cabling as the cabling manager and planner for the first cable infrastructure in Southern Utah with Falcon Cable, which became Charter, which was bought by TDS. 

“We put fiber through from Hurricane all the way down to Mesquite. And I was the plant manager,” Shuck said. “So yeah, I was quite involved in all of that.”

All that changed  four days after Thanksgiving in 2017. Shuck wasn’t able to stay conscious and his family got him to the hospital just in time, the doctors said. After five bypass procedures, Shuck barely survived. Even after recovering, he has never been the same.

Jason Shuck in his garage with wooden American flags he is creating and donating to veterans, police officers and firefighters, St. George , Utah, May 15, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

He struggles with neuropathy and short-term memory loss. Lena Shuck, Jason’s wife, said when COVID-19 hit, he was “medically retired” by his employer due to a strong risk of becoming infected.

Shuck was later diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a disorder that causes pain and tenderness throughout the body. Patients also have trouble both staying awake and sleeping.

Shuck told St. George News if her husband stays out of bed for two to three days, it means four to five days where he won’t get out of bed. 

That said, Shuck said she’s grateful that her husband has found a way to be productive in waking hours while giving back to the community. 

“It’s a complete 180,” she said. “He doesn’t work all the time. And there are some times I’ll come home and I’m like, ‘OK, did we get out of bed at all today?’ And sometimes he is so proud of himself he’ll work himself to the point where he is down for three or four days again.”

When he is asleep, Shuck dreams of the next flag he’s going to create.

“I look forward to getting up in the morning because I’m at a point of, ‘OK, I’ve got some of the colors, now it’s starting to come together and I can’t wait to get out there,” Shuck said. “I have come up with some ideas, during my dreams. This is something that I really enjoy and I’m thankful that my wife lets me. She puts up with it. She gets tired of all the sawdust.”

The Shucks’ backyard is now full of discarded wood and pallets. He doesn’t purchase any wood, but only uses scraps he either finds around town or has donated to him.

Some of the wooden American flags Jason Shuck is creating and donating to veterans, police officers and firefighters, St. George , Utah, May 15, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

“Now I have the whole backyard of pallet wood,” Lena Shuck said, laughing. “There’s sawdust constantly all over the place but it’s what he does.”

“One day I’m going to cough up a coffee table with all the sawdust I take in,” her husband responded.

Creating Art with Lightning

Sitting on a stool passed down from his grandfather, Shuck’s process is similar to how the character Roy Hobbs has his Wonder Boy bat created in the movie The Natural — with lightning.

“The flags have a little bit of lightning in them,” Shuck said. 

Without any wood working experience, other than seventh grade shop class, Shuck read and watched YouTube videos on an art technique known as fractal burning, also known as Lichtenberg burning. The technique uses high-voltage electricity to create patterns in the wood.

A solution is applied to the wood that drops its resistance to electricity. Two electrodes are then placed on the wood and high voltage is passed between them, creating burn patterns. 

As an art form, it isn’t among the safest. The American Association of Woodturners says 33 people have died in their garages between 2017 and 2022 while creating art through fractal burning.

Some of the wooden American flags Jason Shuck is creating and donating to veterans, police officers and firefighters, St. George , Utah, May 15, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

When asked if he is a woodworker or an artist, Shuck prefers the latter. 

“The difference between a woodworker and an artist is a woodworker uses measurements. Artists don’t, they do what they feel,” Shuck said. “This is what I’ve been doing. I believe in the Lord a lot and I let him guide me.”

Shuck also said he is guided by a belief what the American flag represents. 

“Being a patriot that I am, I believe it is stands for freedom,” Shuck said. “The Constitution is for a purpose and this is why we have one. The flag, the colors, I just love them and I just enjoy sharing them.”

Those interested in donating to Shuck or know of a veteran, police officer or firefighter worthy of a flag, contact the Shucks via text message at 435-705-8877.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGNews

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