Document text
Burned U.S. flag was family heirloom It flew at retirement home; timing of its ruin sparks anger, disgust By PAUL FATTIG Mary Carlon had difficulty finding words to sufficiently express her anger and anguish Tuesday morning. "I'm so very, very sad this could happen here in our town, especially at this time," she said. "We should all be pulling to-gether right now. Something like this shouldn't be happening." A retired teacher, Carlon, 75, was referring to the fact someone burned the American flag in front of the Horton Plaza retirement home in Medford around midnight Monday. Flying on the 25-foot metal flagpole since Memorial Day, the flag had been placed at half-staff following the deadly terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. At half-staff, the flag draped to within reach of anyone standing near the sidewalk. The fire even burned the halyard. But it wasn't just any American flag; it had been presented to Carlon by an American Legion honor guard during her father's funeral. Harold Wenner, who died in 1987 in his native Okanogan, Wash., was an Army veteran of World War I. He had served in an infantry regiment that suffered many casualties during the war. The United States lost more than 116,000 men during the 18 months it fought in that war. "That flag was something I had in memory of Dad," she said. "I had wanted to share it with others." That flag was a symbol of what her father and others like him represented, she said. "He was very patriotic but he didn't talk a lot about the war," she said. "Nearly every time he did, he would break down. He lost an awful lot of his best buddies over there." Her late husband, Don Corlan, was a Navy veteran of World War II. He is buried in the Eagle Point National Cemetery. "Those who did this should be very ashamed of themselves," said Carlon, who taught at Oak Grove School in Medford for nearly 30 years. "I don't know how they could desecrate a flag like this," she added. "If they could do this to something that means so much to so many �" Don Libby, general manager of Horton Plaza, said residents in the facility make a point of flying the Stars and Stripes year round. Expressing disgust at whoever destroyed Carlon's flag, he hoped it was a spur-of-the-moment crime and not a hate crime. The flag burning probably wasn't a political statement, said Lt. Mike Moran of the Medford Police Department, which is investigating the incident. "But given the circumstances of today, it's especially offensive," he said. The culprits would be charged with criminal mischief as well as reckless burning, he said. The department is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. Anyone with information about the flag burning can reach Moran at 774-2224. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.