MoH Recipient Has Flagpole Issues

WWII MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER FACES SUIT OVER HIS FLAG-FLYING
By Zinie Chen Sampson The Associated Press
RICHMOND

A 90-year-old Army veteran who won the Medal of Honor during World War II is battling his neighborhood association for what he says is his right to fly the American flag from a pole in his front yard.
Col. Van T. Barfoot says he erected the 21-foot flagpole in September, raising the flag daily at sunrise and retiring it at sunset.
The Sussex Square homeowners’ association told him recently that the free-standing pole violates the townhouse neighborhood’s aesthetic guidelines and ordered him to remove it by 5 p.m. Friday or face a lawsuit.
“I don’t have any qualms with their authority, but the thing about it is that I cannot get enough conversation out of them where we can try to work out a solution,” Barfoot said Wednesday in a telephone interview.
The homeowners’ association said they denied a previous request by Barfoot to erect the flagpole but that he put it up anyway, according to a statement issued by its lawyer Sandy Bowen. The statement says Barfoot can display an American flag, as long as it’s in a way that conforms with association rules.
“This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole,” the statement reads. Barfoot, who moved into his townhouse in June, won his medal for actions near Carano, Italy, in 1944 and is one of about 90 surviving Medal of Honor winners. He also won the Purple Heart and other decorations, and served in Korea and Vietnam before retiring from the service in 1974.
“I’ve flown the flag at my home as long as I can remember,” said Barfoot, who lived in rural Amelia County before moving to suburban Richmond. “This is the first time in the last 36 years that I’ve been unable to put my flag up on the same pole, the same staff and take it down when it’s time to come down.”
Neighbors largely have expressed their support, but he realizes that ultimately it’s up to the nine-member association board whether they will grant an exception to the rules.
“Emotional torture is what they’ve done to my father,” said his daughter, Margaret Nicholls. “He has lost sleep; he worries about it constantly. He just doesn’t understand. He thinks that if it’s on his property they can’t tell him what to do.”

Henrico County MoH Recipient Has Flag Issues

Homeowners Associations are like this, yeah they are.

The Barfoot family is accepting donations from supporters but wants the money to go to the USO, the military service organization.
"We want the money to go the families of servicemen, not us," said Margaret Nicholls, Col. Van T. Barfoot's daughter.
The homeowners association in his western Henrico County community wants Barfoot, 90, a Medal of Honor recipient, to remove a freestanding flagpole that he erected in his yard, and from which he flies the American flag daily.
Checks should be made out to the USO and sent to: Stand Tall for Colonel Barfoot, c/o The Hoople Group, 12105 Browning Court, Richmond, Va. 23233.
The Hoople Group also is serving as a clearinghouse for telephone calls, letters and e-mails of support

HR 2546

A mesage from the folks who manufacture and market our Service Flags

We Need Your Help!
Families in certain areas are being told to take down their Service Flag because its display violates the rules of the homeowner or condo association.

On May 21, 2009, Congressman John A. Boccieri (D-OH), an Iraqi war Veteran, introduced HR 2546 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.2546.IH:) l "To ensure that the right of an individual to display the Service Flag on residential property not be abridged. "
The Bill was introduced without co-sponsors, so we need your help to get Congress to pass this Bill - we want you to write to your Congressman, and we've made a sample letter to make it easy - Copy the letters below (inserting your name and other appropriate changes) and mail them right away to your representatives (link to congressional addresses are below)!!!
1. Support & Thank You Letters: Click here to open the sample support Word document to send to your Representative and Senator (if you don't have Word, or have an older version, scroll down for the text of each letter).
Click here to read the support letter text
Click here to read the thank you letter text
Click here for your Congressman's address
Click here for your Senator's address
The Service Flag is an official flag regulated by the Department of Defense. It is displayed by the family members of U. S. Military personnel during any period of war or hostilities the United States may be engaged in.