Life thru Dave's Eyes

8th March 2012

Photo reblogged from Obit of the Day with 36 notes

obitoftheday:

Obit of the Day: Medal of Honor Recipient Van Barfoot
May 23, 1944 was an incredible day for Sergeant Van Barfoot. During the battle for Anzio, Italy Sgt. Barfoot placed himself in incredible danger while single-handedly attacking two Nazi machine gun nests and forcing a third to surrender. Later that same day he destroyed a German tank with a grenade, blew up a gun emplacement, and helped evacuate two of his injured comrades. For his efforts on that day, Sgt. Barfoot was awarded the Medal of Honor four months later. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and remained an active member of the U.S. Army until he retired in 1974 as a colonel. That alone makes for an interesting life.
Then he moved to Henrico County, Virginia and a new battle began. In December 2009, to be closer to his daughter, Col. Barfoot moved into the community of Sussex Square. Upon moving into his new home, he erected a flagpole in his yard where he would raise and lower the Stars and Stripes each and every day. But the homeowners’ association had a problem - it violated the community’s policy on aesthetics. So they demanded that Col. Barfoot remove the flag pole. He refused. They threatened to sue. Luckily the public, Virginia’s two senators (Mark Warner and Jim Webb), and White House press secretary Robert Gibbs understood that a 90-year-old Medal of Honor winner should be given some leeway, and the association backed down.
Colonel Barfoot, who was one of only 28 Native American winners of the Medal of Honor (his maternal grandmother was Choctaw), died at the age of 91.
(Image courtesy of msnbc.com)

Obit of the Day: Medal of Honor Recipient Van Barfoot

May 23, 1944 was an incredible day for Sergeant Van Barfoot. During the battle for Anzio, Italy Sgt. Barfoot placed himself in incredible danger while single-handedly attacking two Nazi machine gun nests and forcing a third to surrender. Later that same day he destroyed a German tank with a grenade, blew up a gun emplacement, and helped evacuate two of his injured comrades. For his efforts on that day, Sgt. Barfoot was awarded the Medal of Honor four months later. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and remained an active member of the U.S. Army until he retired in 1974 as a colonel. That alone makes for an interesting life.

Then he moved to Henrico County, Virginia and a new battle began. In December 2009, to be closer to his daughter, Col. Barfoot moved into the community of Sussex Square. Upon moving into his new home, he erected a flagpole in his yard where he would raise and lower the Stars and Stripes each and every day. But the homeowners’ association had a problem - it violated the community’s policy on aesthetics. So they demanded that Col. Barfoot remove the flag pole. He refused. They threatened to sue. Luckily the public, Virginia’s two senators (Mark Warner and Jim Webb), and White House press secretary Robert Gibbs understood that a 90-year-old Medal of Honor winner should be given some leeway, and the association backed down.

Colonel Barfoot, who was one of only 28 Native American winners of the Medal of Honor (his maternal grandmother was Choctaw), died at the age of 91.

(Image courtesy of msnbc.com)

Source: The New York Times

13th October 2011

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