Colorblind firefighter has tear-jerking reaction after friends fulfill his dream of seeing the American flag colors

The firefighter didn't realize he was colorblind until his friend figured it out and gave him the best gift ever.

PUBLISHED JAN 3, 2025

(L) A man smiling and holding his shades ; (R) A hand holding an American flag in a field | Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | (L) Umut Sarialan ; (R) Karolina Kaboompics

People who serve their country have a special place for the national flag in their hearts. A glimpse of it lights up their day. According to WSB-TV, a man named Spencer Caradine from Georgia had the same dream. Caradine served as a firefighter in Douglas County for a while. However, Caradine had a genetic disorder of being color blind. As a result, his eyes couldn't detect the red, white and blue shades on the American flag.

The American flag. Representative Image Source: Pexels | Ketut Subiyanto — Close-up of the American flag. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Ketut Subiyanto)

"I never knew that there was a different red in my eyes," he said, per the outlet. Caradine had no clue about his colorblindness until he had an interaction with his fellow firefighter, Jordan Gardner. According to Good News Network, Gardner and Caradine were out on a hiking trip when Gardner pointed at a green object next to a red barn but Caradine was unable to distinguish between the two colors. "When I realized he couldn't see what I saw, I wanted to be able to fix it," Gardner revealed.

via GIPHY

Caradine was taken unknowingly to a vision test by Gardner where his suspicion about Caradine's colorblindness was confirmed. So, Gardner and his fellow firefighters decided to organize a huge surprise for Caradine at the firehouse on the Fourth of July in 2019. Gardner ordered a special pair of glasses and all the fellow firefighters contributed for it out of their wallet. Caradine was gifted a pair of EnChroma glasses that cost more than $300 on Amazon. Gardner posted the entire video of Caradine's special day on his Facebook page. Then the colorblind firefighter wore the pair of glasses as he was led outside by Gardner.

Caradine was turned towards the American flag and for the first time in his life, Caradine could see the distinct colors on the American national flag. Emotions washed over him as he turned around to look at his surroundings and appreciate the beauty of colors. Gardner was overjoyed to witness his friend detect colors properly for the first time and he claimed that the look on Caradine's face was "the best feeling in the world." Someone from the team of fellow firefighters asked Caradine to describe what the American flag looked like to him without the special glasses. "Does it look grey? Would you describe it as grey?" the person asked from behind the camera. Caradine confirmed that certain colors did appear grey to him.

A man wearing shades and looking up (Representative Image Source: Pexels |
OG Productionz) — A man wearing shades and looking up (Representative Image Source: Pexels | OG Productionz)

By the end of the video, he hugged Gardner tightly, thanking him for doing something meaningful. People in the comments section of Gardner's Facebook video also joined in to rejoice for the firefighter. Travis Clark commented, "This is awesome... for wanting to see the flag first. Happy for you Spencer." Mark Sullivan mentioned, "20+ years at DCFD and this may be the coolest thing I have seen. Great job to all who made this happen." Toni Patty wrote, "Strong men crying makes me cry. How sweet!" Randy Read remarked, "I've seen these on some TV show maybe a year or so ago. Not sure where, but that is so cool bro! Stuff like this gives me hope for humanity."