Veteran says Upside Down Flag Aimed at Lawmakers

An American flag flying upside down outside a museum in eastern Illinois has upset a few people but the man behind it says he means no disrespect.

Harold "Sparky'' Songer is director of the Vermilion County War Museum in Danville. He says he's flying the flag upside down because he's bothered by federal defense spending cuts and what he sees as diminishing military support.

He says he's flying the flag as a distress signal. An upside-down flag is considered a legitimate military distress signal.

Songer is a veteran of World War II and the wars in Korea and Vietnam.

Local resident Chris Perrault told The News-Gazette in Champaign that as he took pictures of the flag Monday he heard complaints from people passing by that the flag display was disrespectful.