Veterans lash out at White House after ‘shameful’ Pride flag display

Prominent military veterans have accused the Biden administration of diminishing the American flag by placing a Pride banner at the center of a display over the weekend.
The White House held a Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn Saturday afternoon, and the decorations included a rainbow-colored flag at the center of the White House balcony with one American flag to each side.
“Today, the People’s House – your house – sends a clear message to the country and to the world,” read a message from President Biden’s Twitter account. “America is a nation of pride.”
However, critics say the administration ran afoul of the US Flag Code, which states that the Stars and Stripes “should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs.”
“You would think the White House knows this,” Chad Robichaux, a Marine veteran who helped spearhead one of the largest civilian evacuation efforts from Afghanistan, told The Post in a statement. “They do, they just don’t care.”
The White House held a Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn Saturday afternoon. REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden
“Today, the People’s House – your house – sends a clear message to the country and to the world,” tweeted President Biden. “America is a nation of pride.” Nathan Howard/Bloomberg/UPI/Shutterstock
“The American flag is the symbol of freedom and equality for every skin color, every (legal) sexual preference, no social group needs another flag,” he added. “If every group could understand what the American flag truly represents, it would not be a divisive thing.”
“I question the utility of my combat sacrifices when the Commander in Chief determines the American flag should acquiesce to another symbol of pride,” added former Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who was relieved of his duties in August 2021 after calling out the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“Every veteran that has fought for this country and sacrificed so much is disgusted by the symbolism of the pride flag overtaking our nation’s flag at the White House,” chimed in Victor Marx, a former Marine and founder of All Things Possible, a group that strives to aid those affected by trauma.
Critics say the administration broke the US Flag Code, which states the Stars and Stripes “should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped.” AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta
Attendees gather for a Pride celebration on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on Jun. 10, 2023. AFP via Getty Images/ BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
“As a third generation US Military Veteran, it hurts my heart to see that the American flag, which has stood proudly for 246 years, has been relegated to second place,” said Mark Geist, a former Marine who was a member of the annex security team that fought in Benghazi back in 2012 and founded the Shadow Warriors Project.
“The millions of Americans that have served under this flag, and the hundreds of thousands of Americans that have given their last full measure to defend this flag, have all been disrespected by this action.”
Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), an Army veteran, decried the debacle as “shameful” and contended that “no flag should be flown at equal level to the American flag.”
Prominent military veterans have accused the Biden administration of diminishing the American flag by placing a Pride banner at the center of a display. Nathan Howard/Bloomberg/UPI/Shutterstock
“Our flag represents our American values, liberties, freedoms, and those who died to defend it,” he said. “This administration has continued to desecrate and marginalize our nation’s flag … with complete disregard for our brave men & women who fought to protect it.”
Defenders of the Biden administration countered that the flag atop the White House roof ensured compliance with the flag code because it was positioned higher than the Pride flag.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.