Woburn, MA - State Rep. Patrick Natale, D-Woburn, is supporting the display of American flags and patriotic tributes on highway bridges in the commonwealth following a controversy over removing them.
The Massachusetts Highway Department had ordered all American flags, (some hand sewn by family members of the military), patriotic tributes and memorials hanging on bridges over highways across the state, to be removed due to concern that the flags and signs could fall on drivers, causing an accident.
Gov. Deval Patrick has ordered that the removals be halted.
“I believe that removing the flags is a knee-jerk reaction by our state highway department officials and a terrible idea for our soldiers who serve our country every day by putting themselves in harms way for the safety of our country. The very least we can do to honor our brave soldiers is to continue to allow the families and loved ones the opportunity to display these flags and tributes on our state bridges,” said Natale, a member of the Joint Committee on Veterans Affairs. “Last year the Massachusetts State Legislature voted, as part of its Welcome Home Bill, to give ‘Thank You’ bonuses to all returning veterans; $1,000 to soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and $500 to soldiers who were non-war veterans. The commonwealth is one of only two states in the country that give returning soldiers thank you bonuses.”
For the past seven years, Joe Pouech, a Woburn resident, has been providing and displaying flag tributes to soldiers. No one really knew who was putting up the flags on the Mishawum Road Bridge in North Woburn and it remained somewhat of a mystery for a long time, Natale said. Only recently it was learned that Pouech was one of the persons responsible. He ha purchased most of the flags out of his own pocket. And told Natale’s office, “We have an obligation to these soldiers and that we should not turn a blind eye to their service for the country. The state should continue to allow these tributes on bridges.”
Natale cited annother Woburn resident who contacted his office looking for help to fight MassHighway on the issue, a retired captain in the U.S. Marine’s who had served in Iraq from June 2005 through March 2007. The captain, whom Natale did not name, told his office, “The efforts to get the flags and tributes taken down are shameful and cruel…The flags and tributes, some of them to men whose bodies will never rest in American soil, are acts of love…when their fathers and mothers and wives and girlfriends hang tributes…they should see it. And when America says ‘I love you, son’ to a teenager carrying 80 pounds of equipment and the hopes of mankind on his shoulders, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts should stand aside and be quiet.”
A little over a year ago state highway officials ordered a similar removal of overhead displays, but after an outpouring of support for the flags and tributes, it decided to allow them, provided the signs were positioned behind fences.
The Executive Office of Transportation has stated “that MassHighway will not complete the removal of the displays until a task force identifies an appropriate and safe way to honor veterans on state-owned roads.” Patrick directed Tom Kelley, the secretary of Veterans Services, and Luisa Paiewonsky, MassHighway commissioner, to convene a group of veterans and highway officials to develop a plan. In addition, members of the Joint Committee of Veterans Affairs have also been voicing their strong support for the continued presence of flags and banners over highways memorializing our service people.
