Father Of Veteran Flies Flag Upside Down
In light of Veteran’s Day, one former soldier’s father is raising his American flag upside down to show he remembers his son’s sacrifice.
Many may think it’s a sign of disrespect, but the military uses it as a distress signal.
The U.S. flag code state “the flag should never be displayed with union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”
Curtis Carnahan said his son, Sgt. Evan Vela, has spent more than three years in prison and is, along with other veterans, in distress, And he wants the public to know.
“We are under distress, evan is under distress, one of your American soldiers has been wrongfully imprisoned by his own government to cover up the lies that took place in Iskandariyah, Iraq,” Carnahan said.
Since his was convicted of murder stemming from an incident in Iraq, Carnahan has fought to get him out of prison.
“They are saying that somebody needs to pay for an innocent Iraqi farmer, but he wasn’t an innocent Iraqi farmer,? Carnahan said.
While serving in the Army in May 2007, Vela said he was ordered to kill an Iraqi who had discovered their sniper hideout.
Two months later, he was charged with murder, and in Feb. 2008 he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
“They train our young men to be killers. That?s as simply as I can put it,? Carnahan said. ?Then they order them to kill, and then they order them to kill and convict them of murder and put them in prison. Unacceptable.”
With the support of his family, Vela filed an appeal more than eight months ago; he is still waiting to be heard.
“He’s been incarcerated for three years, four months and 10 days, and that’s three years four months and 10 days too many,” Carnahan said.
But as they wait, Carnahan hopes raising his up side down flag will signal some relief.
Carnahan said he will have his flag flying upside down until Thanksgiving.
Vela is serving his time in a military prison in Kansas.
For more information on Vela and his case, visit FreeEvan.com
