My current issue of my VFW magazine presents a memorial in tribute to the SIXTY (60) Americans killed in
Afghanistan between April 25 and June 10, 2012. Among them we have a brother from Las Cruces, New
Mexico; Staff Sgt. Israel P. Nuanes. May He rest in peace. Other news: Medal Of Honor recipient, Leroy Petry,
of Santa Fe along with Seven (7) other Medal Of Honor recipients will be honored at a memorial on saturday
September 1, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at Angel Fire. All are welcome.
Finally, Un Hermano de Santa Fe has taken the time to E-mail me the following story;
You might remember a news story several months ago about a crotchety old man who defied his homeowners
association and refused to take down the flagpole on his property and the large U.S. Flag that flew on it.
Now you can find out who, exactly, that old man was. Van T. Barfoot was born on June 15, 1919 in Edinburg.
In 1940, He enlisted in the U.S. Army and on May 23, 1944, near Carano, Italy, set out to flank German machine
gun positions, that were firing on his fellow soldiers. He advanced through a minefield, took out three enemy
machine gun positions and returned with 17 prisoners of war. If that wasn't enough for a day's work, he later took
on and destroyed three German tanks sent to retake the machine gun positions. That probably didn't make much news,
but it did earn Van T. Barfoot, who retired as a Colonel after also serving in Korea and Vietnam, a Medal Of Honor.
What did make news... A neighborhood association's quibble with how the 90-year-old Veteran chose to fly the American
Flag outside his Virginia home. Seems the rules said a flag could be flown on a house-mounted bracket, but, for decorum,
items such as his 21-foot flagpole were unsuitable. He had been denied a permit for the pole, Erected it anyway and was
facing court action, if He didn't take it down. Since the story made national TV, the association has rethought its position
and agreed to indulge this old HERO who dwells among them. "In the time I have left I plan to continue to fly the American
Flag without interference," He told the Associated Press. And if any of his neighbors still take a notion to contest him, they
might want to read His Medal of Honor citation. It indicates he's not real good at backing down.
