A U.S. Army veteran in Huntsville, Alabama is battling with his local homeowner’s association (HOA) over whether his American and U.S. Army flags can continue to fly outside his home, a new report revealed this week.
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Army National Guard veteran Anthony Hudnell and his wife, Dr. Jill Hudnell, are not backing down after the Homeowners Association of Lake Forest ordered them to remove their flagpole. Alabama.com reported the couple received a letter from the HOA on Sept. 1, informing them that the flagpole does not conform to the HOA’s covenants and restrictions.
The HOA’s rules states that no flagpoles are allowed other than ones mounted on a house, and shorter than 4 feet, without prior written consent. Homeowners may submit a written request before adding a flagpole to their yards, which the association would then have 30 days to review with the possibility of denying the request.
Jill Hudnell told WAAY 31 that her family did reach out to HOA multiple times, but their messages went unanswered. They went ahead with the flagpole installation in July and it had been up for more than a month before the HOA sent the notice to take it down.
In addition to marrying a veteran, Jill Hudnell comes from a military family. Her father is a Marine veteran who lost a leg in the Vietnam War. After returning home from the war, she said her father “did everything he could” and “He is now an aeronautical engineer, and he is also the inventor of the recoverable rocket booster for the space shuttle.”
Jill Hudnell said her brother also served in the U.S. Navy.
“So this flag means a lot,” she told FOX News on Thursday. “Not only do we have Old Glory hanging from that flagpole, but we also have the Army flag, because that is a representation of my husband.”
When the HOA reached out demanding the Hudnell’s “immediately” remove their flagpole, Jill Hudnell said their immediate response was “No,” adding, “This is going to stay right where it’s at because my family is military, and this is a representation of how I feel about their service.”
Jill Hudnell said the HOA has since told her that they are reviewing the request for the already-installed flagpole and that it could take “up to 30 days to respond.”
“Those two flags will stay up there,” she said. “Old Glory is still waving this morning.”
It is not unheard of for HOAs to take issue with flags being flown within their communities. In 2019, a U.S. Marine Vietnam War veteran won a 20-year dispute with his HOA in Virginia over his American flag display.
