WH: MoH Recipient Should Have Flagpole

WH: MoH Recipient Should Have Flagpole
December 08, 2009
Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that it is "silly" to think that a 90-year-old Medal of Honor recipient is being asked to remove a flagpole from his front yard.

Retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, a World War II veteran, is fighting to keep the 21-foot pole at his suburban Richmond, Va., home. His homeowners association said the pole violates the neighborhood's aesthetic guidelines. It pushed back a deadline to remove it to Friday.

Gibbs said during a briefing that he hasn't spoken directly to President Barack Obama about the flap. But he said "the president believes - I think all of us believe - that the very least we can do is show our gratitude and thanks to somebody that served our country so admirably."

He went on to say that "it's silly to ... think that somebody that's done that can't have a flagpole and ... show the proper respect and appreciation that any flag deserves by flying that in their neighborhood."

Other supporters include U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Jim Webb, both Virginia Democrats. They and veterans groups have rallied behind Barfoot, who was awarded the lofty Congressional honor for actions including standing up to three German tanks with a bazooka and stopping their advance.
read more here
MoH Recipient Should Have Flagpole