A veteran of three wars who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor is now facing an unlikely enemy — his neighbors.

Col. Van T. Barfoot, 90, has raised the Stars and Stripes every day at sunrise and lowered them every day at sunset since he served in the U.S. Army. But on Tuesday he received a letter from the law firm that represents his homeowners' association, ordering him to remove the flagpole from his Richmond, Va. yard by 5 p.m. on Friday or face "legal action."

SLIDESHOW: Medal of Honor Winner Col. Van Barfoot

The homoeowners' association at Sussex Square community told Barfoot that the freestanding, 21-foot flagpole that he put up in September violates the neighborhood's aesthetic guidelines.

Barfoot had sought permission to install the pole shortly after he moved into the community — a complex of townhouses where the grounds are community property — last June. The board denied his request in July.

But Barfoot and his family say there is no provision in Sussex Square's rules that forbids erecting flagpoles. And for Barfoot, that's a cause worth fighting for.

"There's never been a day in my life or a place I've lived in my life that you couldn't fly the American flag," Barfoot said in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

In a statement released last night, the association sought to defend its position against a growing chorus of outrage.

"This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole," reads the statement from the association, which insists that Barfoot directly violated its board's July ruling.

"Col. Barfoot is free to display the American flag in conformity with the neighborhood rules and restrictions. We are hopeful that Col. Barfoot will comply."

The statement reminded the public that many American flags hang from homes in the Sussex Square community, and that the board members object only to Barfoot's freestanding flagpole.

But Barfoot says he has always flown the flag from a height: "Where I've been, fighting wars ... military installations, parades, everything else, the flag is vertical. And I've done it that way since I was in the Army," Barfoot told the paper.

Barfoot is one of the country's last living World War II veterans who received the Medal of Honor. He also served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War and earned a Purple Heart. In WWII, Barfoot showed his mettle in Carano, Italy, where he single-handedly destroyed a set of German machine gun nests, killed eight enemy soldiers, took 17 prisoners and stared down a tank before destroying it and killing its crew — all in a single day. Exhausted by his herculean efforts, he still managed to move two of his wounded men 1,700 yards to safety.

"Sgt. Barfoot's extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers," reads the official citation for his Medal of Honor.

Barfoot's resolve is now once again being tested.

"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.

"I don't have any qualms with [the board's] 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.

Neighbors largely have expressed their support, but he realizes that ultimately it's up to the nine-member association board whether to 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."

Click here for Col. Barfoot's Congressional Medal of Honor Citation.

Click here for more from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,579147,00.html

That's a shame to order a juridical action against a veteran, only because he raises the American flag !

Looks like France...

I highly recommend reading the citation for his Medal of Honor, very impressive to say the least. The part that really stood out to me was that he actually faced down 3 Tiger tanks with not much more than a bazooka; as anybody who knows anything about US WWII weaponry that a bazooka is not the most effective anti-tank weapon and could, on a good day, at best kill a PzKfw IV don't mention a much more heavily armored Tiger. That took some real cajones and any man crazy/brave enough to do that and everything else he did to earn his Medal of Honor and survive 3 wars deserves to be able to put just about whatever the hell he pleases in his front yard association rules be damned, especially if that thing is a flag pole that flies the flag of the country that this mans has so bravely, and valiantly served in 3 wars.

and the 1700 yards thats 128 feet or 42 yards shy of a mile thats a good distance to carry a guy much less 2

The neighbors need to get together and vote out the board. If that happen my homeowner association, I would start a campaign to recall the board members.

Colonel Barfoot and others who sacrificed their time, their courage and their very lives are the reason stupid people have the freedom to make stupid rules in their idealized little neighborhoods. We’re all in trouble when political correctness requires that we all live in houses that look the same, we all worship behind closed doors so we don’t offend the sensibilities of others and we pay lip service to veterans without really caring about what happens to them when they are no longer on active duty. True patriotism is dead. The majority of Americans believe that our government is some vast conspiracy instead of a constitutionally appointed body that serves the will of the people. We’re being averaged out of existence without the freedom to excel and express our heartfelt values. Colonel Barfoot’s exploits in WWII have earned him a status that should allow the man the freedom to express his patriotism as he sees fit. These are the men and women whose self-sacrifice should be honored and held up as role models for our children. When exactly did we surrender our common sense, abandon respect for others and outlaw self esteem?

I did some checking. Out of the millions of soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors that went to war during the time from WWII to now there were 851 Medal of Honor awarded of that number 92 are still living. He is in fact a National Treasure. I'm sure they could find some loop hole for this MOH winner like donation the land that the footpad of the flagpole sits on to the US Army and then it is a Federal matter.

Or have the Powers that be turn his house into a historical Landmark and then the could not mess with it.

they protect endangered species with area of habitat that you can't even walk in. why not protect the MOH the same way.

Just my $0.02

What more is there to say. Those who have never had to pay the price for freedom, are tipically the first to try and take it away from others.
There are times like this, that I feel Starship Troopers had the right idea about Citizenship.

The Board of Directors in any Home Owners Association are elected by the Home Owners themselves, so they need to get rid of those idiots and elect a new "smarter" board of directors. It's what America is all about

I agree. Any HOA board that that's inflexible and unwilling to make an exception for a 90 year old, decorated veteran of 3 wars, and Medal of Honor Winner deserves to be fired. All they have to do is make an agreement with the old guy and his family that when he dies and/or they sell the property they have to remove the flag pole, simple as that.

A-frakkin-men. Colonel Barfoot is an American Hero, and this is how the people he defended thank him? I don't think so. This man deserves RESPECT and this very situation is repulsive in my eyes.

As a decedent of a Revolutionary War soldier, and his son who was a captain during the war of 1812 and the however many others in the family tree who served this country, I agree with you.

This is all what the USA is becoming now!

ITS SICK!!!