To the editor:

There is no nobler sacrifice than to risk your life for the safety and freedom of those you do not know. Men and women who enter the military make that conscious decision and willingly live with the knowledge that their choice to serve may cost them their lives. All veterans deserve our eternal gratitude and utmost respect. Sadly, while they are willing to give all for us, as a town we are not willing to grant the one request they have made of us. 

Give them back their memorial with a solitary banner on it, the American flag.

Once the Town of Barrington decided to fly banners on the same pole with the American flag, the veterans of our town made it clear that the American flag should be flown by itself. It mattered not what cause the accompanying banner represented. The men and women in our military don’t think about what race, ethnicity, religion or sexuality we are when they are called to serve and protect us.  They respond to the dangers and threats to any and all of us.

Our veterans’ message never changed over the past few years. The memorial at the Town Hall was dedicated to our veterans. They asked the town to find another home for the banners so that the American flag would be the only banner on the pole. 

But no matter how many times they asked, no matter how many times they offered alternatives, their heartfelt requests fell upon deaf ears. The Council could have honored our veterans’ wishes while at the same time erecting a pole elsewhere designated for banners only. They could have compromised. They stubbornly would not.

Now the Barrington United Veterans Council has disbanded. They are tired of begging for something that should have been given to them willingly. Council members have refused to honor their years of requesting something very simple, and easy to effect.

Fly the American flag at the Veterans’ Memorial at the Town Hall. Fly all other banners elsewhere. 

How much easier a solution can there be?

It is still not too late to do the right thing.

Mary Teixeira

Barrington