Monday, May 12, 2008
Burned American flag irks Mission Viejo resident

Man says it looks like something was poured on flag outside his house before it was lighted. Officials say they have no leads.
By LINDSEY BAGUIO
STAFF WRITER


MISSION VIEJO – When Harry T. Johnson walked outside to pick up the newspaper in his driveway Monday morning, he noticed something that made his heart race.

About one-third of a 3-by-5-foot American flag displayed outside his home on Recodo Lane had been burned overnight.

"It was a good test for my pacemaker," he said. "It kicked it really into gear."

Johnson said it appeared that something had been poured on the flag, which is mounted on a wall near the entryway of his front patio. "Probably an accelerant," he said.

Johnson called the Sheriff's Department at 6:09 a.m. to report the incident. A deputy dispatched to his home found no leads, said Administrative Deputy Darren Sandberg.

Sandberg said this appears to be an isolated incident and called it "unusual."

Johnson, 80, says the flag is important to him.

He comes from a family with a military background. He was in the Navy reserve for several years and five of his brothers served in World War II.

"We've always displayed the flag when we camp or go out to the races," he said. "Till the boys come back, it will fly."

Johnson has lived in the same Mission Viejo home for 37 years. He has no idea who would have started the fire in his quiet neighborhood.

He thinks that a bumper sticker on his pickup may have prompted the incident.

"It says, 'Freedom is not free, support our armed forces veterans,'" he said. "Maybe that's what struck a note 'cause I have my truck in the driveway. It really bothers me that someone is belittling our country."

www.ocregister.com