Two veterans groups in Barrington are requesting their own flag be flown under the U.S. flag atop the pole near the town hall.

Members of the Barrington United Veterans Council and Barrington American Legion Post #8 recently petitioned the town manager and members of the council to fly a flag which carries the message "Respect the Flag: Keep Politics Off the Pole."

The request appears to be in response to the manager's decision — and council's allowance — to fly the Black Lives Matter flag on the town hall pole.

"We would like our banner to be flown in the public forum for a duration equal to that given to other political and/or unofficial banners currently being flown by the Town Council above our Veterans Memorial; or until the Town Council adopts a non-political flag policy that prevents the flying of all unofficial banners from Town Flag poles," stated the petition.

The petition, which is signed by 10 veterans from Barrington, offered an explanation for the request. The groups said their flag honors the men and women in the U.S. military who have sacrificed and those currently serving in the United States military.

"When you join the United States military you agree to curtail and give up much of your 1st Amendment rights, and when you give your life to your country your voice is silenced far too soon. The Barrington UVC would like to request that our banner be flown as the voice of these forgotten men and women of Barrington, and to symbolize their 1st Amendment rights to demand that the American flag be respected and that politics be kept off of its flag pole. It is the least we can do for those who have fought and died to protect all of our constitutional rights," stated the petition.

The veterans groups are also endorsing a new town flag policy that would allow only three flags to be flown under the U.S. flag — the State of Rhode Island flag, the Town of Barrington flag, and the MIA/POW flag.

"However, until this ordinance is enacted, we demand equal protection under the 14th Amendment to have the same ability to exercise our 1st Amendment rights in a manner granted to other groups and organizations within this community," stated the petition. "We deserve to have our banner displayed with equal respect and with the same honor..."

The veterans who signed the petition are Charles Brule, Luigi Carusi, Paul C. Dulchinos, Albert Girard, Kenneth Lass, Joseph MacCrae, Joseph Pine, Frank Santoro, Bart Stanzione and Michael Tripp.