American flags allegedly mowed over by city crew

Wyoming tribune eagle ^ | June 4 2007 | Brandon Quester

[rwh]

Members of the American Legion Post 6 spoke out Sunday after a city grounds crew allegedly mowed through, and drove over, nearly 100 American flags honoring the gravesites of war veterans at Olivet Cemetery early last week.

Shock and utter disbelief was the reaction from Legion members such as Ross A. Smith, cemetery chairman with the American Legion.

"This is complete disregard and complete disrespect. You don't treat the American flag like that. That's a symbol of our American nation," Smith said. "As citizens of the United States, we need to honor our veterans 24-7. And for seven days we can't honor them? I'm in total disbelief."

According to Smith, the American flags placed on veteran gravesites the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend remain until the following Saturday.

Smith said that in the past, if the grass needed to be mowed before the seven days had passed, the flags were removed and then replaced when the grounds crew had finished.

The flag desecration was discovered by community volunteer David Heath while making a daily trip to Olivet Cemetery to replace fallen and unserviceable flags with replacements from the American Legion Post 6.

Heath said he was shocked by what he saw.

"They (American flags) were all laying on the ground, just like garbage," Heath said. "If they would have called to say they were mowing, I would have been out there pulling flags in front of them."

In a letter written to the American Legion Post 6, Heath described what he saw after arriving at Olivet Cemetery.

"On Tuesday May 29th or Wednesday May 30th, I picked up numerous flags that were either ran over or cut up by the grass-cutting crew at the cemetery. I could tell the damage was caused by the mowers because I saw wheel marks over the portion of the staff and the condition of some of the flags," wrote Heath.

After spending nearly two hours replacing the flags at the cemetery, Heath returned the damaged flags to the American Legion Post 6 and notified a worker of what he had seen.

Members of the American Legion Post 6 said they want whoever is responsible for the flag desecration to be held responsible and to learn a little flag etiquette.

"The city should be able to assure the citizens that it won't happen again," said Legion member Ed Routon. "They should hold themselves to every standard when representing the American flag."

Offices for the City of Cheyenne Parks and Recreation Department were closed Sunday and were consequently unavailable for comment.

[rwh]

I saw this on the news last night with pictures of the flags and it was a sickening sight.

[TChris]

The grounds crew should be fired, immediately.

That's just indefensible.

[kinoxi]

I wonder if they were ‘hard working (illegal) immigrants’ operating the mowers? /s

[mpackard]

just disrespecting the flags that Americans wont disrespect

[Right Wing Assault]

They will hold the perps responsible! A 1-hour sensitivity class, probably. And a 2-minute English class when they teach them the words “you a$$holes!”

[rljv]

“The city should be able to assure the citizens that it won’t happen again,” said Legion member Ed Routon. “They should hold themselves to every standard when representing the American flag.”

They should, but they can’t until they are willing to enforce the laws against hiring illegal immigrants.

[Centurion2000]

Anyone want to guess whether the grounds crew are native to the USA?

[Arrowhead1952]

You didn’t need a /sarcasm tag. That is probably a fact.

[1rudeboy]

You know me, I like pointing out knee-jerk reactions. But in this case the (circumstantial) evidence suggests you are correct.

[YellowRoseofTx]

I wonder if they were ‘hard working (illegal) immigrants’ operating the mowers?

That was my first thought.

[rockinqsranch]

As this is a tradition of standing, the knowledge of the flags was there to the management of the facility.

It makes no sense to me that the lawns could not be mowed prior to the Memorial Day flag setting then not mowed again until after the following Saturday.

Carelessness, thoughtlessness, and I speculate possibly not American Citizens maintaining the grounds.

This makes me very angry.

[kinoxi]

I know it probably is. But the article doesn't specify much and it could be a left wing whack job on his last day of employment.

[texas_mrs]

My daughter tells me that the flag has been hung upside down at her middle school several times. The first time she saw it, she told the principal it was upside down and he said he would check on it, but it stayed that way the rest of the day.

The kids who put it up are illegals and often wear La Raza T-shirts.

[Doctor Raoul]

Mowing lawns......who might that be?

[dakine]

Gee, I hope no haoles ever make a mistake...

[A CA Guy]

Yep, the ones who mowed the flags down deserve to be fired.

[Joe 6-pack]

I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down,
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it".
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down,
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town"
I said, "I think it is"
He said "I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of That Ragged Old Flag

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there,
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
and It got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,
writing "Say Can You See"
It got a rip in New Orleans, with Packingham & Jackson tugging at its seams.
and It almost fell at the Alamo
beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on
That Ragged Old Flag

"On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp, and low, a time or two,
She was in Korea, Vietnam, She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam.

She waved from our ships upon the briny foam
and now they've about quit wavin' back here at home
in her own good land here She's been abused,
She's been burned, dishonored, denied an' refused,
And the government for which she stands
Has been scandalized throughout out the land.
And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin,
But she's in good shape, for the shape she's in.
Cause she's been through the fire before
and i believe she can take a whole lot more.

"So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought
I *do* like to brag
Cause I'm mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag"

- Johnny Cash

[Doctor Raoul]

I doubt it was a mistake.

[PeterFinn]

Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that these jerks enjoyed mowing down those flags and why, too, do I also suspect that the damnable ACLU will defend them?

[Let's Roll]

Just doing the flag mowing Americans won’t do.