It’s not supposed to be: ‘I pledge allegiance to the tattered flag of the United States of America.’
But outside the post office at East 19th Street and Avenue X, that sad version of the pledge might be more appropriate.
A disheveled version of Old Glory has been sagging in the wind there for the past several months.
“It’s a disgrace,” said Sheepshead Bay resident Bobby Colon, a retired check casher who has been complaining about the flag since he first had the misfortune of noticing it.
“To me, the flag is the most important thing. To see it being disgraced by a governmental business…” he said. “It shouldn’t be allowed to happen.”
Colon’s outrage comes from his heart.
In February, his nephew, Army Cpl. Miguel Baez, was killed in a bomb blast in Baghdad.
“All you have to do is attend one memorial service and look at the young faces of the people that are defending our nation, and you’ll know how important this symbol is,” Colon said.
Colon said he repeatedly spoke to staff at the post office about the flag, pleading with them and even offering to donate one of his own.
After an inquiry by this newspaper, Archie Warner, manager of customer service operations for the Brooklyn Post Office, said a maintenance crew is expected to replace the flag this week.
Asked why it has taken so long to replace the flag, Warner said, “Somewhere, the communication dropped.”
“It shouldn’t have gotten this far,” he continued, offering the post office’s “sincere apology regarding this situation.”
