Retired Army Colonel Van Barfoot is one of only five native Americans to have been awarded the Medal of Honor, which he received for destroying three German machine gun positions, one tank and one artillery tube during the Anzio breakout. For that alone his name ought to have been famous, taught in history books, an example to the rising generation of the heroism and sacrifices made by those who came before them to secure their freedoms.
Instead Col. Van Barfoot got famous because he chose to fly the American flag on his doorstep, having moved “in” from the country:
In 2009, Col. Barfoot made headlines after he erected a 21-foot flagpole at his Sussex Square residence without the permission of his homeowners association. The association, which allowed flags to be flown on angled poles attached to houses, ordered it removed and threatened legal action when he refused.
The ensuing furor drew the support of two senators, a former Virginia governor, other leaders and veterans before the association backed down.
Col. Barfoot passed into the clearing at the end of the path last Friday.
Hail, soldier. And farewell.
Bonus: Read the linked Richmond Times-Dispatch article above. Now read this NYT version of the story.
Compare and contrast.
A true American hero.
WTF does President Obama or his press secretary have to do with this story? I can not understand why the NYT introduced that bit into the story. I guess if the NYT editors want to paint a picture, the canvas they use is thiers to do with what they like. For me, it puts a spin on the story that is unnecessary and looks suspiciously like an effort to show the democrats in a more favorable light. I am not buying!
No. It was good. I was not going to the NYT link but did. I thought it was good.
Fare thee well Van.
COL Barfoot exemplifies the America I love. I’ll leave it at that.
Indeed he does. An America, I’m afraid, that is now behind us.
I agree with both Airmail and Curtis. The NYT piece was worlds better than their usual run of swill, but have to agree with Curtis on the Obummer spin.
Hail, Warrior. Well met.
Perhaps part of Lex’s noted contrast pertained to no mention of God, nor the significance of faith therein, in the NYT piece.
God is only for silly “clingers” SicSemper, something the really smart people at the NYT and their readership obviously have no need of…they probably omitted any mention as they don’t want to risk any contamination…otherwise their readers would have to avert their eyes..
I suppose you’re right, virgil. The Times probably also want to avoid the negative publicity of protesters outside their building, offended by the use of the name.
The Richmond article allowed reference to God and the influence in Col. Barfoot’s life a number of times. Since the NYT cannot by fiat mention that word… they applied their proxy… BHO, who as always couldn’t be bothered to take a stand!
I sincerely hope that the Colonel’s flag is flying at half staff for the next 21 days! God Bless you Colonel and above all else… THANK YOU!
I’ll call myself second to no man in my respect and admiration for the Colonel.
Having said that, the intrusion of the government petitioning on his behalf against his HOA was wrong. And, sadly, the Colonel himself was wrong.
A key part of our conservative ideal of limited government is freedom of association. HOAs, while roundly condemned by damn near all, are voluntary associations. You don’t have to live in one.* And those associations have established and published rules governing those associations. COL Barfoot elected to disregard the rules. While his motives were certainly not evil or malign. But rules are value neutral. They just are. And attempting to gain exemption after the fact doesn’t make you any less of a rulebreaker. The disagreement was between a private citizen, and a private association he voluntarily joined. It was not a matter for government intrusion.
*yes, I understand that in areas such as SoCal,where I live, it’s a practical impossibility to avoid an HOA. In fact, in some neighborhoods here, you are a part of two HOAs. But my point still stands.
Not in SOCAL. We were a loose condo association until we got us an HOA lawyer who parachuted in and wanted to “organize us all”. It would be after the buy association for everybody at lawyerpoint.
Later I did give up a Del Mar Heights condo with a wonderful hot tub on my patio and a community pool elsewhere when, over the course of 3 years they tripled the HOA fees. HOA fees were rivaling my mortgage payments. We opted out.
XbradTC-
I both agree and disagree with your evaluation. Yes, the Colonel was in error by placing the flagpole on his property without gaining the permission of his HOA. However, we do not know what efforts he may or may not have gone through with his HOA prior to his erecting the flagpole. Having served time on an HOA board, I am well aware of the rule-bound peevishness of some of the members, as well as the tendency of the board to pass judgment first and ask questions later. I always attempted to bring some element of equilibrium to bear on most issues by talking to the homeowners and getting their story and then comparing it with what the rules said was allowable. Even if it didn’t fall within a strict interpretation of the rules, there were times when exceptions could be made because the rules themselves were insufficient to cover every conceivable issue that arose. Had someone taken the time to talk to the good Colonel about why he had his flagpole installed, and considered his request in light of his service to country, possibly an exception would’ve been granted. But in any case, they apparently didn’t care or didn’t take the time to find out much about him, and instead issued their injunction based on “aesthetics” alone. Which is probably about the time that the Colonel developed a severe case of righteous indignation and decided to stand his ground.
So yes, the Colonel committed the first error. But the HOA compounded it and made it worse. I agree with you that the gov’t should not have been involved in any case; public outcry alone would’ve been enough to shame the HOA into doing the right thing.
Two years ago, I received a violation notice for having an American flag posted outside my home that was “too large” per the HOA guidelines. I was told by the board it was too “distracting” for our residents. (I live in a golf course community filled with active duty military from JFCOM, Langley AFB, and Naval Station Norfolk)
I complied after being fined, of course. Many months later with the assistance of a local TV station and numerous letters from my many military friends/neighbors, the Board decided to amend the “rules” regarding American flags in our neighborhood.
It was a battle I was willing to pursue.
The “aesthetics” rationale was false, as there were flagpoles in that subdivision. In fact, the entranceway was adorned with several. They all flew company flags of the developers and “SALE” flags, but they were flags nonetheless.
As far as HOAs go, I have never seen one that actually performed their mission (preserve property values), while serving to make the tinhorn dictators feel powerful. My most recent experience had an abandoned house next to mine go untended the entire summer, with grass over two feet tall and trash in the yard, not to mention the teenagers smoking on the covered porch. Our HOA took no action at all. However, when we complained, they “discovered” that our trashcan placement, which had been A-OK for 12 years was all of a sudden in violation of their rules. After complying with the board’s action against me (complete with fines), I was then threatened with fines by the Architectural Control Committee because I did not get THEIR approval for the small screen the Board ordered me to erect. So if I left it up, I was to be fined; and if I took it down, I would be fined. And don’t get me started on my HOA in FL. So screw them. I don’t care what it takes to remove from them the ability to arbitraily and capriciously harrass their neighbors.
Sometimes rules are just meant to be broken. Col. Barfoot chose well. (Salute)
Col. Barfoot, may angels of mercy wing you to your well-deserved rest at God’s table.
Homeowner’s associations are the home of America’s most bloodthirsty, power-hungry fascists. We had to leave one neighborhood we lived in because of all of the minutiae that was enforced with Javert-like persistence. They have their purposes, but like all good things, they can go a bit too far sometimes.
All HOAs should have a rule barring further rules against displaying one American Flag.
Roger that….Too many of the HOA are havens for petty tyrants whose goal is to control the lives of others.
This splendid foot soldier paid the price to allow others ( like the idjits in the HOA) to live free.
We are still a Greta nation of men and women like this hero. We will not go quietly into the night….as long as we all fight those who would look to weaken our great land.
The problem with HOAs is the only people who want to serve on the boards are those who get their rocks off on telling other people what they should do while doing whatever they want in the mean time. Sounds like a great breeding ground for members of the administration. Come to think of it – are HOAs community organizations and hence run by “Community Organizers”? That sort of explains why we now have a country that is run like a HOA. Makes me want to go paint my siding a wrong color just for the hell of it.
OldT6/
Just taking a wild guess here, but the guy in New Orleans who painted his house in LSUs’ colors of Purple and Gold replete with alternating “Tiger stripes” probably wouldn’t pass muster with your group, non?
Just goes to show that the fight for freedom and liberty doesn’t always take place a) in uniform or b) with bullets, bombs or shells. And, a key concept for a great many uninformed people – it is everyone’s responsibility, not just those in the armed forces.
Have a good friend who is a Warm Springs (Conferederated Tribes) Indian. He’s an USAF vet (B-36 mechanic among others) he has a belt buckle -”America love it or Give it back!!”
RIP Col. Barfoot…
Fair winds, Colonel.
HOA talk? Really?
HOA, alternate spelling of Hell.
BZ Col. Barfoot, thanks for your service.