Letter: Flag to honor veterans goes MIA

From: Tom Specken
Winsted
Tuesday evening, Nov. 10 between 9 and 10 p.m. a lone suspect was reported to have lowered two flags from the flagpole (the flag of the United States of America and the POW-MIA flag) at the Winsted Post Office.
The suspect removed the POW-MIA flag from the flag pole and ran. The incident was reported to the Winsted Police, and Officer Dan Pohl quickly responded to the scene. Unfortunately the suspect appears to have gotten away for now.
Veterans Day, Nov. 11 is a day reserved for recognizing our veterans with respect. The fact that this theft happened on the eve of a national holiday, especially Veterans Day, seems to magnify the disrespectful nature of the theft.
To steal a flag that was designed and used to honor those who have fought to protect the rights of all Americans goes against the rights of Americans to freely display such a flag.
If the suspect chooses to display the flag in honor or veterans, that would be a contradiction in itself, to have violated the rights of an American only to turn around and use it to honor those who fought to protect the rights of those whom the flag was taken from.
The person who removed the flag will have to live with the guilt of such a disrespectful act at a time of honor and respect for American veterans.
We all owe our thanks and support to all American veterans and the men and women serving our country, here and around the world.
May the person who removed the flag feel the burden of a guilty conscious and return the flag to its rightful place. If you need or want a flag; see your local Legion Post, VFW, hardware store or other retail locations, and purchase one and display it with pride and honor.