He advanced through a minefield, took out three enemy machine gun positions and returned with 17 prisoners of war.

If that wasn't enough for a day's work, he later took on and destroyed three German tanks sent to retake the machine gun positions.

That probably didn't make much news either, given the scope of the war,but it did earn Van T. Barfoot, who retired as a Colonel

after also serving in Korea and Vietnam , a Congressional Medal of Honor.

What did make news...was a neighborhood association's quibble with how the 90-year-old veteran chose to fly the American flag outside his suburban Virginia home.

Seems the rules said a flag could be flown on a house-mounted bracket, but, for decorum, items such as Barfoot's 21-foot flagpole

were unsuitable. He had been denied a permit for the pole, erected it anyway and was facing court action if he didn't take it down.

Since the story made national TV, the neighborhood association has rethought its position and agreed to indulge this old hero who dwells among them.

"In the time I have left I plan to continue to fly the American flag without interference," Barfoot told The Associated Press.