Veteran Ordered to Stop Flying Flag

Dec. 2: Col. Van T. Barfoot, 90, folds the flag after lowering it outside his home in Henrico County, Va. According to the subdivision's homeowner association's board, Col. Barfoot is in violation because he flies the flag from a flagpole instead of a pole attached to his porch or doorway. Col. Barfoot has been ordered to remove the pole by 5 p.m. on Friday or face legal action. (AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch/Eva Russo)

Dec. 2: Col. Van T. Barfoot, 90, and his daughter Margaret Nicholls lower the flag outside Barfoot's home in western Henrico County, Va. Barfoot is one of the country's last living World War II veterans who received the Medal of Honor. (AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch/Eva Russo)

Van Barfoot is presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor for valorous actions during World War II. Barfoot showed his mettle in Carano, Italy, where he single-handedly destroyed a set of German machine gun nests, killed eight enemy soldiers, took 17 prisoners and stared down a tank before destroying it and killing its crew — all in a single day. Exhausted by his herculean efforts, he still managed to move two of his wounded men 1,700 yards to safety.

Van Barfoot's "extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire" were an inspiration to his fellow troops in World War II and earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor. He also served in Korea and Vietnam, earning a Purple Heart.

Van Barfoot was promoted to Colonel before he retired from the Army after decades of service, during which he fought in three wars.