RAPID CITY, S.D. — What began as a simple estate cleanout in Rapid City has unfolded into a story of faith, fate, and patriotism that carried one South Dakota veteran to Washington, D.C., where she presented a battle-scarred American flag from Vietnam to the Vietnam Veterans of America.
Jenny Schmidt, a Navy veteran and owner of Black Hills Advocate, discovered the flag while handling the estate of a woman named Linda Aanrud. Inside a closet, tucked inside a box marked “Vietnam Stuff,” she uncovered a tattered flag riddled with bullet holes and burn marks. It was the same flag once planted atop Hamburger Hill, a 10-day battle in the jungles of Vietnam that became one of the bloodiest conflicts of the war.
“I was standing next to my father-in-law, a Vietnam veteran, when we opened the box,” Schmidt said on The Unicorn Projects podcast. “The flag was burned and torn. You could feel the history in it. I knew God put it in my path. It was meant to find me and remind all of us of the sacrifice behind our freedom.”
On Thursday morning in Washington, D.C., Schmidt presented the flag to the Vietnam Veterans of America in honor of its original owner, Special Forces combat medic Johnny Aanrud. She called the moment an act of divine intervention.
“If you had told me even four weeks ago that I’d be standing here today, I would never have believed you,” she told the crowd. “But I see now that God lined every piece of this up in His perfect timing.”
Schmidt said she normally no longer handles estate cleanouts herself, but felt drawn to this one. “I had been under a lot of pressure and thought some manual work might help clear my mind,” she said. “Looking back, I know I was meant to be there that day.”
As she and her wife Tina Schmidt sorted through boxes, Tina’s father, Larry, a Vietnam veteran joined them. When he lifted the lid on the box, they both fell silent. Inside lay the battle flag that once flew over the hill where hundreds of Americans were wounded or killed.
The flag belonged to Johnny Aanrud, who served as a medic in Vietnam and later married Linda. The couple kept his service memorabilia neatly stored for decades. When Linda died, Schmidt was appointed to manage her estate.
“I started reaching out for help,” Schmidt said. “I joined a Vietnam veterans Facebook group and found a name that kept popping up, Dave Gates.” Gates agreed to meet her that evening. When he arrived wearing a Vietnam Veteran hat and shirt, Schmidt said she immediately felt she had found the right person.
After seeing the flag, Gates connected her with fellow veteran Dan Tribby, who had served with Johnny. Tribby told Schmidt that Johnny rarely spoke of his time in Vietnam. “He would just say, ‘That’s a long story,’” Tribby said.
Those words resonated deeply with Schmidt. She served four years of active duty as a Fleet Marine Force Navy corpsman at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, providing clinical and field medical support. “I’ve said those same words,” she said. “Because for so many of us, it really is a long story, a story of courage, loss, and faith.”
Schmidt said the discovery reignited her sense of purpose as both a veteran and an advocate. Through her company, Black Hills Advocate, she works with veterans to navigate benefits, housing, and mental health resources.
“This was never just about preserving history,” she said. “It became about connection and healing. Every veteran carries trauma in some form, and I believe God used this flag to bring peace to more than one person.”
Gates later revealed that he worked for Vietnam Veterans of America, the same organization that Linda Aanrud had named as a beneficiary in her will. “There are no coincidences,” Schmidt said. “Only God’s plan, revealing itself one piece at a time.”
She said the experience also brought her closer to her father-in-law. “He doesn’t talk much about Vietnam,” she said. “But after finding this flag, I’ve seen a change in him. He reconnected with the VA, started sharing stories, and found pride again in his service. That’s healing. That’s God at work.”
Schmidt’s trip to Washington marks another chapter in the flag’s long journey. The artifact, still bearing burn marks and shrapnel holes, will remain with the Vietnam Veterans of America before eventually returning to South Dakota for display at the state museum.
“To stand here today and hand this flag to living veterans of Hamburger Hill is one of the greatest honors of my life,” Schmidt said. “Every scar on this flag tells a story of bravery and sacrifice. It also tells a story of a God who never stopped watching over us.”
As Veterans Day approaches, Schmidt said she hopes the story reminds people that gratitude must go deeper than words. “When someone says ‘thank you for your service,’ remember that service comes with pain, loneliness, and sacrifice,” she said. “This flag carries all of that and more. And yet, it also carries hope.”