Flagpole will stay

A 90-year-old Medal of Honor recipient being told to take down his 21-foot flagpole from his suburban Richmond, Va., home is absurd.

The retired Army colonel, a World War II veteran, has been told by his neighborhood homeowners association that the pole violates the association's aesthetic guidelines and he has until Friday to remove it.

The White House, the two senators from Virginia and various veterans groups have rallied behind Van T. Barfoot, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for standing off three tanks with a bazooka and stopping a German advance in World War II. It should be noted he also served in Korea and Vietnam, earning several medals before retiring in 1974.

The Sussex Square homeowners association contends their unanimous vote was against the flagpole, not the flying of an American flag.

The homeowners association needs to get its foot out of its mouth and realize the flagpole is not a 15-foot security fence, a billboard or a floodlight; it's not broken-down cars and trucks in the yard, a washing machine on the porch or a daily yard sale attracting passersby. What it is is an American flag a veteran is proudly and reverently flying about his home. And, if the homeowners association doesn't like it, let them move to a country where the American flag is not honored and a veteran's service and heroism is not appreciated.

This is a no-brainer ... the flag and flagpole should stay!

NEWS ALERT:

The home owners association has dropped its demand for the flagpole to be removed.