Members of the Bronx County American Legion are raising awareness about a torn and tattered American flag that resides above a local post office. 

They claim that the damaged flag has been there for months at the Westchester Square postal location, and veteran Gene DeFrancis says it’s something that needs to be fixed.  

“There is no reason for it to be in this kind of condition, especially so close to the holidays,” said DeFrancis. “If you look at it, you can see it was a storm… it’s been like that for a long time.” 

The Bronx Legion says they notified the post office a few months ago about the poor condition of the flag, and are putting their foot down, saying it doesn’t evoke pride as a citizen or veteran when the flag is left that way on government property.  

While speaking with News 12 in the neighborhood, members of the legion spoke with the postmaster, who informed them that a work order was put in about three months ago and that the post office is waiting for special equipment to remove the flag.  

The local legion claims they’ve seen other American flags that are either in bad shape or missing entirely at other nearby postal facilities.  

News 12 has reached out to the United States Postal Service about these complaints and is awaiting a response.