A Virginia homeowner’s association is refusing to let Colonel Van Barfoot, a 90 year-old Medal of Honor winner, fly his American flag.
90 year-old Colonel Van Barfoot has until Friday to remove the flagpole from his yard.
Since this saga began, it’s been played out on the radio from Washington D.C. to Boston, but many believe what is happening to this true American hero is tarnishing the image of Richmond.
Barfoot lives in the Sussex Square community in western Henrico County. He moved there in July, and was ordered to remove the flagpole from his front lawn when he flew the flag on Labor Day, and again on Veterans Day.
The homeowner’s association doesn’t explicitly forbid flagpoles but they must be “aesthetically appropriate”.
Unbelievable. These people have no sense of proportion. Talk about the letter of the law.
Meanwhile, the Sussex Square Homeowner’s Association issued a statement saying in part, “This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole… We are a neighborhood of patriotic Americans, many of whom have served our country in the military as Col. Barfoot has done..”
The homeowner’s association also says Barfoot knew from the beginning that he wasn’t supposed to have a flagpole without permission.
Oh, well, if you told him beforehand, then it’s ok. Feel free to ignore anyone you told beforehand.
Unless, of course, the person you’d like to ignore, during an attack in Italy during WWII, did this:
With his platoon heavily engaged during an assault against forces well entrenched on commanding ground, 2d Lt. Barfoot (then Tech. Sgt.) moved off alone upon the enemy left flank. He crawled to the proximity of 1 machinegun nest and made a direct hit on it with a hand grenade, killing 2 and wounding 3 Germans. He continued along the German defense line to another machinegun emplacement, and with his tommygun killed 2 and captured 3 soldiers. Members of another enemy machinegun crew then abandoned their position and gave themselves up to Sgt. Barfoot. Leaving the prisoners for his support squad to pick up, he proceeded to mop up positions in the immediate area, capturing more prisoners and bringing his total count to 17. Later that day, after he had reorganized his men and consolidated the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a fierce armored counterattack directly at his platoon positions. Securing a bazooka, Sgt. Barfoot took up an exposed position directly in front of 3 advancing Mark VI tanks. From a distance of 75 yards his first shot destroyed the track of the leading tank, effectively disabling it, while the other 2 changed direction toward the flank. As the crew of the disabled tank dismounted, Sgt. Barfoot killed 3 of them with his tommygun. He continued onward into enemy terrain and destroyed a recently abandoned German fieldpiece with a demolition charge placed in the breech. While returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his Herculean efforts, assisted 2 of his seriously wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety.
