thedrifter
09-10-03, 10:27 AM
Marine just wants to fly Corps' flag
The Intelligencer
The last thing Joe Fels wanted to do was start a war. All he wanted to do was fly the flag.
Joe flies two flags outside his home in the Legacy Oaks development in Warrington, the American flag and the U.S. Marine Corps flag.
Joe spent eight years in the Corps in the 1950s. He was a sergeant in the intelligence section with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. Like all Marines, he's proud of his service.
So on Nov. 10, 2001, the Marine Corps' birthday, Joe put out the red flag bearing the golden eagle, globe and anchor that is the emblem of the nation's most elite fighting force.
It was two months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, and the way Joe saw it, flying the flag of the Marine Corps next to the national ensign was just another expression of patriotism during a time of national crisis.
And so the two flags have flown proudly outside Joe's house ever since.
But this summer the residents' association at Joe's development told him that the Marine Corps flag would have to come down. The community has rules about what can and cannot be displayed outside homes, and while it's OK to display the American flag, it's not OK to display the Marine flag, Joe was informed. If he didn't take it down, he would be assessed a fine.
But Joe wasn't going to lower the colors of the Corps without a fight. He petitioned about 60 of his neighbors, and a vast majority of them supported his efforts.
A retired director of media services with Unisys, Joe sounded off about his predicament in the Vent section of the Intelligencer in August. That got the word out and also landed the issue on some of the many Marine Corps Internet sites. Soon Joe was getting e-mails of support from Marines all over the country.
What it all comes down to, Joe says, is how one interprets the section of Legacy Oaks' regulations that deals with flags.
The rules permit a flag mounting bracket attached to a home for an "American flag display."
Not permitted are signs, decorative flags or seasonal banners or flags.
The way Joe sees it, the Marine Corps flag is neither decorative nor seasonal, and flying it next to the Stars and Stripes constitutes an "American flag display."
He'll air his case at a meeting with the community's executive board this week. Hopefully, they'll agree with his interpretation of the rules and permit the Marine Corps flag to be displayed.
But Joe's willing to compromise. He pointed to a recent piece of legislation in Florida that allows condominium unit owners to fly flags of the armed services on certain military and patriotic holidays.
Joe could live with something like that; it's not all or nothing.
"I didn't want to start a war over this," he remarked last week. "I like where I live, and I like my neighbors. I only wanted to rile up a little patriotic fervor during a national crisis."
Semper Fi, Joe.
Lou Sessinger's column is published Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. It's also on the Internet at www.phillyburbs.com. He can be contacted at the Montgomery County office of The Intelligencer, 145 Easton Road, Horsham, PA 19044; phone (215) 957-8172; fax (215) 957-8165; e-mail, lsessinger@phillyburbs.com.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/137-09072003-155057.html
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
The Intelligencer
The last thing Joe Fels wanted to do was start a war. All he wanted to do was fly the flag.
Joe flies two flags outside his home in the Legacy Oaks development in Warrington, the American flag and the U.S. Marine Corps flag.
Joe spent eight years in the Corps in the 1950s. He was a sergeant in the intelligence section with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. Like all Marines, he's proud of his service.
So on Nov. 10, 2001, the Marine Corps' birthday, Joe put out the red flag bearing the golden eagle, globe and anchor that is the emblem of the nation's most elite fighting force.
It was two months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, and the way Joe saw it, flying the flag of the Marine Corps next to the national ensign was just another expression of patriotism during a time of national crisis.
And so the two flags have flown proudly outside Joe's house ever since.
But this summer the residents' association at Joe's development told him that the Marine Corps flag would have to come down. The community has rules about what can and cannot be displayed outside homes, and while it's OK to display the American flag, it's not OK to display the Marine flag, Joe was informed. If he didn't take it down, he would be assessed a fine.
But Joe wasn't going to lower the colors of the Corps without a fight. He petitioned about 60 of his neighbors, and a vast majority of them supported his efforts.
A retired director of media services with Unisys, Joe sounded off about his predicament in the Vent section of the Intelligencer in August. That got the word out and also landed the issue on some of the many Marine Corps Internet sites. Soon Joe was getting e-mails of support from Marines all over the country.
What it all comes down to, Joe says, is how one interprets the section of Legacy Oaks' regulations that deals with flags.
The rules permit a flag mounting bracket attached to a home for an "American flag display."
Not permitted are signs, decorative flags or seasonal banners or flags.
The way Joe sees it, the Marine Corps flag is neither decorative nor seasonal, and flying it next to the Stars and Stripes constitutes an "American flag display."
He'll air his case at a meeting with the community's executive board this week. Hopefully, they'll agree with his interpretation of the rules and permit the Marine Corps flag to be displayed.
But Joe's willing to compromise. He pointed to a recent piece of legislation in Florida that allows condominium unit owners to fly flags of the armed services on certain military and patriotic holidays.
Joe could live with something like that; it's not all or nothing.
"I didn't want to start a war over this," he remarked last week. "I like where I live, and I like my neighbors. I only wanted to rile up a little patriotic fervor during a national crisis."
Semper Fi, Joe.
Lou Sessinger's column is published Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. It's also on the Internet at www.phillyburbs.com. He can be contacted at the Montgomery County office of The Intelligencer, 145 Easton Road, Horsham, PA 19044; phone (215) 957-8172; fax (215) 957-8165; e-mail, lsessinger@phillyburbs.com.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/137-09072003-155057.html
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: