As the U.S. Army’s highest-ranking enlisted soldier, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey has been a lot of places and seen a lot of things.

But the one place he is proud to call home is Palmerton.On Sunday morning, community members and veterans turned out to honor Dailey at a flag-raising ceremony near the edge of town.A 20-by-38-foot American flag, brought home from Iraq by Dailey, was raised up a recently installed flagpole at the entrance to Palmerton off Route 248.The Palmerton United Veterans Organization, put together Sunday’s event, also unveiled a plaque commemorating the site in Dailey’s honor.“I’m honored and humbled, but this isn’t about me,” Dailey said. “It’s a validation that American people, regardless of who you are or where you’re from or what you believe in, can get somewhere when you work hard. Every time it flies it represents more than me, it represents the billions of young men and women before me who made this possible.”Later in the day, Dailey served as the grand marshal for the Veterans Day Parade in Palmerton, a town that holds a special place in his heart.“I’ve been to thousands of cities and hundreds of countries, and though I’ve tried, there is no place you can get a piece of pizza that tastes like Tony’s,” he said. “There are no Spillane’s hot dogs in Iraq. You can’t go to a hardware store where a guy named Bernie knows you by your first name and what size gasket your sink needs.”George Duell Jr., of the Palmerton UVO, said the group met and realized “without question, we needed to do this to recognize Sgt. Maj. Dailey’s contributions and service.”Appointed as the 15th sergeant major of the Army on Jan. 30, 2015, Dailey is the Army chief of staff’s personal adviser on matters affecting the enlisted force.In addition to four tours in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn, Dailey deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield.But before becoming a hometown hero, Dailey himself admitted to being ”average.”“In fact, I was at St. John Neumann the other day and Sister Stephanie reminded me just how average I was by showing me my report cards from first through eighth grade,” he said. “There were a string of B’s and C’s.”Dailey turned his academic career around, however, but still stood in amazement Sunday at how the town came out to support “a kid from Lehigh Avenue.”“I spent my whole childhood trying to fight my way out of Lehigh Avenue, and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized I was really fighting to come back,” he said.Flanking Dailey on Sunday were members of the Palmerton UVO, who raised funds for the new flagpole and the construction to place it at the site.Their hard work did not go unnoticed.“I’m in awe of the amount of work done by just a few to preserve the legacy of so many,” Dailey said. “We would not have the lasting memories we have without that group and the leaders of this town.”State Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, and Palmerton Mayor Chris Olivia also spoke at the event.Palmerton UVO members said the flag provided by Dailey would fly during special occasions, while a smaller one will take its place from time to time to preserve its condition.