A Homeowners Association (HOA) made the fatal mistake of not allowing a Vietnam veteran to fly the American flag in his yard, even going so far as to take the man to court to forcefully have him take down the flagpole. Now, after a 20-year long battle, the HOA learned a hard lesson.
When it comes to honoring those who served in our armed forces, we owe a huge debt of gratitude. One such person is Richard Oulton, a Vietnam veteran and former Marine who fought not only for his country in war but also for his right to fly an American flag at his home in Henrico, Virginia.
When Richard Oulton served with 1st Battalion 9th Marines in the Vietnam War, he faced some of the highest casualty rates seen by the US Marine Corps in its history.
In memory of his fallen comrades, Richard erected a flagpole outside his house — as a tribute to those he lost in combat and as a sign of patriotism for his country.
Unfortunately, this gesture was met with resistance from the Wyndham Homeowners Association (HOA), which told him that flying an American flag violated neighborhood by-laws and ordered him to take down the pole immediately.
Despite losing his case against them and having the pole removed from his yard in 2003, Richard refused to surrender on this issue and continued fighting for what he believed was right – even twenty years later.
In 2019, Virginia Delegate John McGuire (District 56) – himself a former Navy Seal – joined forces with Richard as they took on Wyndham HOA one last time.
Now under control of homeowners rather than developers as it had been back in 1999 when all began, both men worked hard to convince HOA members that taking away someone’s right to express their patriotism was wrong.
After two appeals finally convinced HOAs members that allowing Old Glory wave freely would be best choice after all – especially since nine adjacent houses gave 100% support – victory was theirs. On top of that Richard hoisted same flag he used while serving during special ceremony – perfect tribute indeed.
