http://www.star-telegram.com/obituaries/story/1617322.html
(snip)
“Daniel E. Walker was born Sept. 19, 1927. A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, Mr. Walker graduated from West Point in 1953.
Mr. Walker became a natural-disaster manager for the Army Corps of Engineers, his family said.
He told a Star-Telegram reporter after the 1984 incident that he saw a City Hall employee stomping on the flag while trying to put out the flames. “I didnt want someone sweeping it up with a broom and putting it in an ashcan,” Mr. Walker said.
He disposed of the ashes according to flag-care guidelines and buried them in his back yard. His son Rusty Walker, who was attending Baylor University in Waco, recalled being shocked when he saw his father on the national news that August night. But he wasnt surprised.
“He was a West Point graduate, and when he saw them burning the flag, he couldnt stand it,” he said Wednesday.
Mr. Walker was later presented with the U.S. Armys highest civilian award and prized a letter he received from President Ronald Reagan.”
Thank you, penelopesire, for the background.
He was a true hero, and will be missed.