Since it was raised in May of 2014 and dedicated to the honor and memory of the citizen-soldiers who gave their lives on the field of honor, the Va Flaggers’ I-95 Fredericksburg Memorial Battle Flag in Stafford County has been the constant target of vicious hate by local radicals. Prominently displayed on one of the busiest stretches of I-95, traffic comes to a standstill DAILY numerous times right in front of the site and the flag, located just an hour south of DC, was viewed by thousands of motorists every hour.
Haters pressed the county for years to make it go away. One lady even gained national media attention when she vowed to raise a BLM flag nearby. She even raised $8500 towards her project before disappearing back north. There were lawsuits to have the flag removed on the grounds of permits and zoning, all tossed as the county admitted that the construction was by permit and in accordance with all laws, and the flag was protected by the First Amendment.
Earlier this year, we received word that due to highway expansion, the land on which the flag sits would be taken by eminent domain.
By claiming eminent domain, the state was able to seize the property, and subsequently force the removal of the flag, in blatant disregard of our First Amendment rights to freedom of expression on private property.
We were initially told that construction would not start for some time but received notification today that the construction would begin tomorrow and the flag must be removed by noon on Thursday. We assembled a team of men and respectfully retrieved the 20’ x 30’ flag in a brief ceremony this afternoon. Interestingly, several members of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors made statements on their social media that the flag would be down this week. We doubt weekly updates from VDOT are a regular occurrence for the Board…
While the temporary removal was a difficult one, we are comforted in the knowledge that for 6 ½ years, she flew proudly and defiantly, and in the face of some of the most challenging times for Southerners here in occupied Virginia.
We have suffered some setbacks in the past few months, and this is a major one, but please know that it will in NO WAY impede our work or change our course. In fact, we already have SEVERAL locations that have been offered for relocation on Interstate 95, near the original site. We removed the flag today with the promise that it will be a temporary removal and that flag has been placed in safekeeping for the re-dedication and raising at its new location, to be announced in the coming months.
Democrats in Virginia are hell-bent on destroying every vestige of our history and history and expect we will go away quietly into the night. We are determined they WILL NOT succeed. Construction on our next flag site will begin this week, and we have several others in permitting stages. At our annual picnic last month, we made the pledge to raise a flag in every County/City in Virginia, starting with locations where monuments have been removed, and we plan to make good on that promise.
Please know that while we may have been more quiet than usual the past few months, it is only because we have been fighting battles on many fronts. Watch for more updates in the coming weeks as we work through litigation and zoning issues that should be resolved by the end of the year on two other sites.
In the midst of trial, we are every day encouraged by the influx of new supporters, including partnerships with two new SCV Camps in the Virginia Division, and continued cooperation with many more across the Confederation. Like no other time in our history, we need to, once and for all, come together to do what God has called us to do, for such a time as this.
We are truly the remnant.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12
For the Cause!
Susan Lee
Virginia Flaggers
