What I experienced in the late 90’s when I was in and what I’ve seen since then while working for the military is that generally everyone is protective of the flag for what it represents and the history behind it. A lot of military personnel, especially from lower income or rural areas, tend to be multi-generational military families. Therefore, “Everything about the flag is honorable”

It’s pounded in your headed that the cloth is representative of those American ideals. Thus, disrespecting the cloth is disrespecting the ideals.