World War II-Era Flag Stolen From Home [Video]

Vancouver housewife Marguerite Houghton decided she would honor the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks by hanging a huge American flag on her house. This flag was a little different from others lining her neighborhood, however: her father had brought it home after serving in the Navy in World War II.

Days later, on September 17th, the flag was gone, nicked by some ungracious douche from the front of her home. This rather scummy crime quickly attracted the attention of news networks (as it has all the right ingredients for a story: patriotism, sentiment, moral outrage, and crime), and before long Marguerite was hosting TV crews in her front yard.

Understandably upset, she told them: “That was sort of like a part of him. It just struck a note when somebody stole it.” Houghton added it was only the second time she had removed the flag from her home, where it usually stays in a “tucked away”” place.

In a bid to have the 10 feet by 7 feet flag returned, Houghton has erected a sign on her porch (above), urging the flag thief to return her stars and stripes. “It was so wrong for somebody to do this, and I couldn’t let it go,” she said. “Why would anybody want to take an American flag? To me, it’s a sin.”

While Marguerite would love to get her flag back, she says her expectations are not high. She filed a report with the Vancouver Police Department.