Old Glory Victory! 13-Year-Old Boy Once again Allowed to Fly American Flag

Aimee Herd : Nov 16, 2010
Bill Bumpas – One News Now

"We're supposed to be free in this country. I should be able to fly the flag wherever I want to?"

"Oh, thus be it ever when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto, 'In God is our trust'
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!" -4th verse of Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key

After public outcry and pressure from the Liberty Counsel, a California middle school superintendent is retracting a decision to stop a student from flying Old Glory.

Last week Americans were aghast at the news of a school principal not allowing one of his students to fly the American flag on the back of his bike at school. It happened during Veteran's week no less.

For two months Cody Alicea had the Stars & Stripes affixed to his bike in honor of his grandfather and other veterans who have served the country. Then, just before Veterans Day, school officials?citing racial tension as a reason?asked Cody to remove the flag after a few students had complained.

"We're supposed to be free in this country," Cody told reporters last week. "I should be able to fly the flag wherever I want to and they're telling me I can't."

Cody didn't want to make any trouble so he complied reluctantly. "It just kind of makes me upset that I can't fly the flag in my nation," the boy explained.

The family did not plan any legal action, but the Liberty Counsel (LC) was quick to defend Cody. The LC's Matt Staver said, "This is the United States of America?and this young boy has a right to be able to put a flag on the back of his bicycle. He wants to honor veterans, including his grandfather, who served in our country's military?[and] he ought to be able to do that. The mere fear that someone might bring some kind of other flag as a hypothetical possibility is not a basis to censor, of all things, the United States Flag."

According the a OneNewsNow.com report, Edward Parraz, Superintendent of Denair Middle School, is now allowing Cody to fly his flag as he rides on campus.

Says Staver, "We're just going to make sure that the school continues back-peddling and [that] this never happens again."

On Monday, Cody was surprised to find he wasn't alone riding to school, with his American flag once again streaming from the back of his bike. He was joined by Veterans and others who followed, in a patriotic escort to Denair Middle School.

In all, some 300 people had gathered at the flagpole in a show of support for Cody, and to say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the National Anthem with him before he went in to class.

One Veteran even gave a tearful Cody his Veteran's baseball cap, which he was given upon returning from battle.

Watch the very moving video by CLICKING HERE.