War Hero Can Keep His Flagpole

RICHMOND, Va. (Dec. 9) — A 90-yearold
Medal of Honor winner can keep his 21-
foot flagpole in his front yard after a homeowners
association dropped its request to
remove it, a spokesman for Democratic Virginia
Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday.
The Sussex Square homeowners association
likewise has agreed to drop threats to
take legal action against retired Army Col.
Van T. Barfoot, Warner spokesman Kevin
Hall said.
The association had threatened to take
Barfoot to court if he failed to remove the
pole from his suburban Richmond home by
Friday. It had said the pole violated the
neighborhood’s aesthetic guidelines.
Neither Barfoot’s daughter, Margaret
Nicholls, nor homeowners association
president Glenn Wilson has returned telephone
messages.
Dropping the issue effectively ends a request
that White House press secretary
Robert Gibbs on Monday called “silly.”
Warner and Sen. Jim Webb, both Virginia
Democrats, had rallied behind Barfoot,
a World War II veteran.
In a letter last week, Webb urged the association
to “consider the exceptional nature
of Col. Barfoot’s service when considering
his pride and determination in honoring
our flag.”
Barfoot’s fight also has lit up veterans
bulletin boards and blog sites supporting
him.
Barfoot won the Medal of Honor for actions
while his platoon was under German
assault near Carano, Italy, in May 1944. He
was credited with standing up to three German
tanks with a bazooka and stopping
their advance.
He also won the Purple Heart and other
decorations, and served in Korea and Vietnam
before retiring from the service in
1974.