Angry veterans descended on a Massachusetts college campus over the weekend to protest administrators’ decision to remove the American flag.
Hampshire College has been embroiled in a flag controversy of its own making since the Nov. 8 presidential election victory of Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton. A stolen flag, a burnt replacement, and angst by students and faculty prompted the school to fly Old Glory at half-staff. A decision to remove the flag entirely was the final straw for over 1,000 veterans who showed up in Amherst on Sunday.
“I was in Iraq 18 months. I got hurt, spent time at Walter Reed. I came home and there’s no way I’ll let anyone take down the flag, no way. It means a lot to me and my brothers,” veteran David Soucy told a local NBC affiliate on Sunday.
“For the students here, the president and the board of trustees — the opportunities they have — have arisen from what our veterans have sacrificed,” added Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, a Democrat.
Organizers told a local Fox affiliate that they wanted to show the community a “peaceful demonstration of freedom.”
Hampshire last commented on the controversy Nov. 22 on its official Facebook page, saying that it “respects all the feedback” on its decision to remove the flag.
SEE ALSO: Hampshire College removes American flag after Donald Trump’s win sparks campus fury
“This decision is not and was never a commentary on the presidential election; our goal is to make this discussion a learning opportunity by giving voice to the range of viewpoints on campus across cultures, and hopefully find common ground,” the school wrote. “This is not a campus-wide ban as some media have mistakenly reported, campus members are free to individually display their own flags; this only pertains to our flagpole.”
Facebook users responded to the statement by posting dozens of patriotic images featuring bald eagles and the American flag.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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