For the fourth consecutive Independence Day, Jonathan Ames II of West Bridgewater stood at his hometown's busiest intersection and waved an American flag for hours

WEST BRIDGEWATER – Jonathan Ames II awoke Monday with the same Independence Day plans he’s had every year since 2013: Stand on West Bridgewater’s busiest intersection and wave a giant American flag for hours.

But this Fourth of July would prove different, to Ames’ dismay. That’s because 2016 is an election year.

Sure enough, the first “Trump!” holler came early — and then came often as conservatives passing through assumed Ames was voting Republican this fall.

And that, Ames said, was so far from the point of the day.

“I think there are some people who see someone who is overly patriotic and they associate it (politically) — a lot of think i’m this extreme libertarian or Donald Trump supporter,” said Ames, 22, who would not reveal his presidential preference. “People don’t understand that I’m not trying to make it about politics at all. It’s just about making people happy — and celebrating America and Americans on the Fourth.”

The Bridgewater State University senior said he arrived at the corner of routes 106 and 28 at about 8:30 a.m. and was seen waving a 5-foot-by-8-foot United States flag for hours.

The flag wasn’t his only red, white and blue. Ames wore an American flag T-shirt, reddish-pink shorts, calf-high flag socks and red, white and blue high-top Converse sneakers.

Despite a serious love for country, Ames wasn’t taking himself too seriously.

“Some people laugh when they go by — I mean, it is a big-ass flag,” Ames said. “It’s cartoonishly Uncle Sam-ish.”

The idea to spread a bit of holiday cheer in July came to him years ago, thanks to his father, Jonathan Ames, Sr.

“My dad used to get dressed up as Santa and stand in town or deliver coffee to nurses at my mom’s work, so I thought, ‘Why doesn’t anyone do that for any other holidays?’” Ames explained.

Holidays in the Ames household are a big deal. The home is filled with up to a dozen Christmas trees around the holidays, according to Ames.

But on Independence Day, Ames is all by himself at West Bridgewater’s most heavily trafficked intersection. With the heat, Ames wisely dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, but admitted he almost bought a full bald eagle costume in 2013 for the venture.

Ames’ America-first approach extends to his purchases, too: His shirt, shorts, flag pole and flag were all built in the U.S., he said.

His patriotism is on display throughout the rest of the year, too. He’s served as a tutor to veterans at Brockton’s Veterans Affairs Hospital and he proudly told the story of one of his pupils landed on the dean’s list at Massasoit College in calculus.

“My heart exploded,” Ames said of hearing that news. “I don’t know anything about calculus, but doing the packets together gave him the confidence to go back to school.”

On Monday, Ames estimated that thousands of vehicles had passed him on Monday, and that’s not hyperbole: The state’s Department of Transportation figures show as many as 21,000 vehicles pass through that intersection daily.

The gesture seemed to be a big hit with passing motorists as they honked, hollered and handed over cold bottles of water. One driver even offered to head over to Dunkin Donuts to buy him a sandwich.

But some drivers couldn’t seem to shake the notion that Ames was somehow expressing support for a certain candidate.

“When things get politicized, they get ruined,” Ames said.

At 11:30 a.m., Ames said he had a couple hours worth of energy left before heading off to a co-worker’s cookout in Plymouth.

But Ames said he wouldn’t be hitting the road alone: “Of course, I’m bringing the flag.”