Veteran Fights battle to fly U.S. Flag and Marine Corps colors at home

By Debbie Gregory.

Once a Marine, always a Marine. One veteran’s community manager, however, wants this former Marine to tone down his patriotic display.

Former Marine Captain Jim Lowe has flown the U.S. flag and the Marine Corps colors in front of his Georgia home for the past two years. The pair are hung on traditional flag poles, on either side of his garage.

Recently, however, managers for his community have asked him to remove one of them. The reason? Community covenants allow for only one flag to be flown per resident. Lowe said the Marine colors are not a flag at all and should not fall under the housing unit’s general flag rule.

“I don’t consider it a flag,” he told local television news stations. “Most people don’t. You talk to any Marine. Those are the colors.”

In 1925, Marine Corps Order No. 4 designated gold and scarlet the official colors of the U.S. Marine Corps. These colors were not realized until 1939, when a new design incorporating the colors was designed. This design has remained the Marine Corps standard ever since, and is the representation of the United States Marine Corps that you see today. The eagle represents the proud nation the Corps defend.  It stands at the ready, with our coastlines in sight, and the entire world within reach of its outstretched wings. The globe represents our worldwide presence. The anchor points both to the Marine Corps’ naval heritage and its ability to access any coastline in the world. Together, the eagle, globe and anchor symbolize the Marine Corps’ commitment to defend our nation-in the air, on land and at sea.

Community managers have threatened to charge Lowe $25 per day if he does not remove either the U.S. flag or the Marine colors. They have also threatened to move ahead with other legal action. Lowe said he has sent a letter asking the management to reconsider and withdraw their demands; however he has not received a response yet.