A Navy veteran is fighting back after being told to remove his American flag mailbox wrap

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A Navy veteran isn’t going down without a fight after his homeowners association ordered him to remove his American flag mailbox wrap.

Florida’s Southwood Residential Community Association sent a letter to retired U.S. Navy Officer John Ackert asking him to remove the patriotic covering or face penalties. The letter considered the mailbox wrap to be decoration and stated that it must be removed within 15 days after the “holiday season.” Ackert, however, is pushing back against the order.

“That’s been there for four years. It was put there 30 days after I moved into this house,” he said. “I view this as a form of bullying to be honest. And I think people should stand up to bullying of any form, and particularly this.”

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Many of Ackert’s neighbors are coming to his defense, calling the letter harsh and the patriotic mailbox wrap refreshing.

“The man’s a veteran, he served the country,” Mike Patel said. “It’s just a mailbox with a flag, I don’t think it’s right. He owns the house, he can at least have that.”

“They do things like this all the time,” Mike Stephenson added of the homeowners association. “I think it’s ridiculous. What’s wrong with being patriotic in the country you live in?”

Ackert has submitted an appeal to the order, but has not yet heard back. He has 15 days to remove the warp or be fined. The Southwood Residential Community Association is reportedly investigating the situation.

RELATED: A veteran flying two American flags in his yard is heartbroken after being ordered to take one down

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