It’s a sad, sad day in America when a veteran – a Medal of Honor recipient, no less – is ordered to not fly the American flag.

Col. Van T. Barfoot, a local Medal of Honor winner, is under the gun from his Henrico County community’s homeowner association.

In a five-paragraph letter to Barfoot that he received yesterday, Barfoot is being ordered to remove a flagpole from his yard. The decorated veteran of three wars, now 90 years old, raises the American flag every morning on the pole, then lowers and folds the flag at dusk each day in a three-corner military fashion.

In a priority mail letter, the Coates & Davenport law firm in Richmond is ordering Barfoot to remove the pole by 5 p.m. Friday or face “legal action being brought to enforce the Covenants and Restrictions against you.” The letter states that Barfoot will be subject to paying all legal fees and costs in any successful legal proceeding pursued by the homeowner association’s board.

It is disgusting and offensive that a man who fought for the freedoms of this country is now being persecuted by the people that enjoy the freedoms he fought for.

Home Owners Associations aren’t a good thing. They’re making the excuse that the issue is the flagpole itself, but it’s obvious the HOA could choose to rule that the flagpole is inoffensive. Instead, they’re exercising their freedom to bring a world of trouble upon themselves.

All veterans, whether members of the post or not, are invited to come by Post 7294 today to enjoy free food & drinks as a small way of saying thank you for your service. And while you’re there, be sure to check out our facilities and ask about joining! We’d love to have you!

And let us not forget the reason for this day:

Use these ideas to share the real meaning of Veterans Day with your family, friends, neighbors and community. Each one is quite simple. But if we all commit to at least one, it will make such a difference on November 11.

Get the whole neighborhood to fly the flag.
As a VFW member, you already proudly fly “Old Glory.” Encourage your neighbors, friends and colleagues to do the same on November 11… and other patriotic holidays that honor our veterans and service members.

Write a letter to the editor.
Write a brief message urging readers of your favorite newspaper to pause and remember the sacrifice of our military.

Send a care package.
Veterans Day honors all those who have honorably worn the uniform. Dry goods, toiletries, magazines and heartfelt letters are good things to include in your care package to troops far from home.

Speak to a child.
Share the story of your service with a grandchild or a local classroom. Firsthand accounts are more memorable than reading a story or watching a film.

Visit a VA hospital.
Maybe you’ve been in a VA hospital yourself. You know how good it is to see a comrade and visit with someone who knows what you’ve been through.

Play some cards. Share some stories.

These are just examples of ways you can commemorate Veterans Day.

Work with others in your Post to come up with other creative ideas for honoring the men and women who fight for our country.

Due to the apparent lack of interest, we’ve canceled the Halloween Party for our families to meet the 1185th families. Folks, we’re trying to do things for the post, but we need YOU to get involved when we try and do events!

While we have fought to protect the freedoms of Americans to protest as they see fit, burning the flag of a VFW post is not going to win you any favoritism at the post. In fact, it’s probably going to bring you more trouble than you’d expect: