CINCINNATI — The flag flying high on Montgomery Road in Pleasant Ridge has seen better days. Stars are missing, stripes are frayed and the bottom portion is ripped away from the top.
It makes nearby resident Sandy Coffey upset when she looks up at it.
“It looks like it’s been in the war,” she said. “Maybe it doesn’t matter to them, but it matters to me.”
Coffey’s home is decorated in Old Glory, from a 1777 Betsy Ross flag to mailboxes. Her father served in the U.S. Army in Germany in the 1940s.
“It’s just a symbol of the U.S. and we should respect it,” she said. “If you’re going to fly one, do it right or not at all.”
Rules for displaying the United States flag are governed by the U.S. flag code, which reads: “ The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”
Violations are not enforceable.
Air Force veteran Joe Baker knows the importance of respecting the stars and stripes. He talked to WCPO 9 News Anchor Craig McKee in a June 2020 Homefront about the importance of properly disposing flags, which includes a dignified burning ceremony.
But before the flag can be disposed of, it needs to be taken down.
While the flag sits behind Pleasant Ridge Montessori School, the site is operated by American Tower corporation.
A customer service representative contacted by WCPO said the fix should be “pretty easy” and that “we should be able to get back in contact with people who can fix the flag sooner rather than later.”
For Coffey, it’s just a waiting game: “[I’m] afraid of heights or I’d take it down!”
