Trump flags fly at Delmar Post Office and wires on Bethlehem Memorial Day Parade Route
DELMAR – Two uninvited guests appeared along the parade route at last week’s Bethlehem Memorial Day Parade. A Trump 2024 flag with the slogan “Make America Great Again” flew from the flag pole located outside the Delmar post office on Delaware Avenue and another one draped across a wire overhanging the intersection at Kenwood and Elsmere Avenues. Both flags were quickly removed upon being reported.
As for the flag hung at the post office, United States Postal Service spokesperson Mark Lawrence announced at the time in an email, “The flag in question was not placed on our staff by postal personnel and will be removed as soon as possible.” The flag, which had been attached by zip-ties to the pole and flew just under the U.S. flag, was removed shortly thereafter.
The Delmar post office is federal property and under the jurisdiction of the postal inspectors rather than the Bethlehem police. Bethlehem police Deputy Chief Jim Rexford said, “At this time, we have not been called by the United State Postal Inspectors to assist in any investigation,” Rexford said.
In response to an inquiry from Spotlight, Postal Inspector and Public Information Officer Emily Spera confirmed that the postal service is aware of the incident, but “no further investigation is deemed necessary at this time.”
According to the Postal Service’s Administrative Support Manual, the display of a flag at postal facilities other than the United States flag, the Postal Service flag or the POW-MIA flag or certain flags otherwise authorized by the agency’s Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications is prohibited.
Regarding the flag at Kenwood, Rexford said, “National Grid was contacted and they responded and removed it. They said it was not an uncommon practice for them because they have many instances of people putting things on their equipment.”
Rexford does not expect National Grid to ask for an investigation in this case.
American Legion Blanchard-Currey Post 1040 Commander Jeremy Martelle said he was unaware of the Trump flags until he got home from the parade and turned on his television. He said, “whoever did it must have felt it would get the most bang for the buck by flying the Trump flag during the parade, but it was a poor time to do it.” He noted, “Memorial Day is a day for grieving over the loss of the men and women lost in battle and not the forum to showcase something like that.”
“I think we need to keep the day for what it is actually for because it’s not meant to be a political statement,” he said. Martelle, a Republican and Glenmont resident, also said he hopes the Bethlehem Republican Committee will “take the high road” and make a statement that it was not responsible and that it was not an appropriate action on Memorial Day.
Delmar’s American Legion post co-sponsors the parade with the local Veteran of Foreign Wars organization. VFW Quartermaster Larry Pittman concurred that “politics have no place in the Memorial Day parade.” He said, “We are supposed to be honoring those who gave their lives for this country. Interjecting politics in it is just wrong and takes away from what we are supposed to be doing.”
Pittman said he spent the parade being driven along the parade route with his three grandchildren who were handing out American flags to other children. Referring to the children, Pittman said, “they get it, they know what it’s all about.”
Neither Martelle nor Pittman had any idea who might have perpetrated the Trump flags flying.
But both officials questioned whether the Town’s Democratic and Republican Committees, who were allowed for the first time to march in the parade, should be allowed to do so again. Martelle said that shortly before the parade date, a Democratic Committee representative had reached out to the post about marching in the parade and “we couldn’t come up with a reason they couldn’t.” Martelle said the Bethlehem Republican Committee chair James McGaughan was then contacted and advised them they could also march in the parade. “We need to rethink this. We don’t want the parade to become a political rah-rah. It’s not supposed to be a political thing.”
Town of Bethlehem Supervisor David VanLuven called the incident “disappointing” and said it was “disrespectful and wholly inappropriate to hoist a political flag with the federal and MIA-POW flag.” VanLuven said, ‘I hope in the future these individuals will keep their flags to their personal properties.”
In a personal Facebook post, McGaughan blamed the Town of Bethlehem’s decision to fly a Pride flag in June at Town Hall. “Progress pride flag is political too. So this is well deserved backlash from the Town Board’s rainbow insanity” the post read. McGaughan did not respond to a request for comment. Pittman said, “I would hope people would have more important things to do than get involved in pettiness.”
VanLuven rejected any connection between the Trump flags to the Town’s decision to fly a Pride flag at Town Hall during this June’s Pride month celebration. Instead, he focused on the hoisting of the flag under the American and POW-MIA flags and called this “someone’s decision to vandalize federal property and disrespect the soldiers who fell serving our country and not connected to people being welcoming and supporting our LGBTQ community members.”
Martelle hopes next year’s parade will not be re-visited by partisan flag flying. “I think the Town leadership will probably keep a closer eye on the parade route the night before,” he said.
Pittman said, “speaking for myself, interjecting politics into a solemn day like this is upsetting for me.”
