Marine on St. Croix council member apologizes after taking city’s POW/MIA flag
Marine on St. Croix council member apologizes after taking city’s POW/MIA flag
Marine on St. Croix City Council Member John Goodfellow apologized to residents and military members at a recent meeting after taking down a POW/MIA Flag at City Hall in mid-May.
MARINE ON ST. CROIX, Minn. (FOX 9) - A member of the Marine on St. Croix City Council under scrutiny for taking a POW/MIA flag in mid-May apologized for his actions to residents at a council meeting last week.
John Goodfellow offers apology
The backstory:
The incident happened on May 15. Goodfellow admitted to taking the flag, referring to it as a "moment of civil disobedience" to spark conversation. Another report indicates he took the flag down because it reminded him of a terrorist organization. While his exact motive is unclear, Goodfellow had told media outlets he wanted initiate a discussion about flying other flags under the U.S. flag on the city’s flag pole.
The city’s POW/MIA flag was reported missing on May 18. Eight days later, Goodfellow returned it to City Hall. At the Aug. 13 Marine on St. Croix City Council meeting, Goodfellow took accountability and apologized to residents and military veterans in attendance.
"It was never my intent to cause the hurt and offense that has been reflected in that previous meeting and in at least one speaker this evening. It’s something I can’t undo, it was reckless, I had no appreciation for the implications," Goodfellow said. "I have subsequently over the last two months become a student of the history of that flag, I understand it, I understand there are many stories around that flag. Your message is received, and I understand."
Goodfellow also told authorities before this incident, he turned a U.S. flag upside down during President Trump's first term. He was not on the city council at the time.
Goodfellow said near the end of the meeting he wants to be part of a group that’s putting together a military remembrance area in the city. He was elected to the city council in 2024.
History of the POW/MIA flag
Why you should care:
The flag was created in 1970 by Mary Helen Hoff, the wife of Navy pilot missing in action. It features a gaunt silhouette, a guard tower and barbed wire above a motto "You are not forgotten." It’s the only flag besides the U.S. flag required to be flown on prominent federal properties.
The flag is meant to bring awareness to service members who had been taken as prisoners of war or were missing in action. It’s common for small cities to fly the flag under or near the American flag. Marine on St. Croix, located on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River and north of Stillwater, has a population of about 700.
Several residents, supported my military members present at the Aug. 13 meeting, spoke passionately about what the flag means to them.
"I have heard it said told the POW MIA flag should not be flown every day of the year, the reason is because it’s sad, it’s depressing, it’s dark. That’s all true, but that’s why it should be flown every day of the year," one resident said. "The flag represents the sacrifices, the hurt, the loss of so many people, and wars affect so many people. If we keep in mind how terrible they are, maybe we will start fewer of them. I think it should be flown every day. POW MIA flag represents thousands of stories that will never be written because they were cut short."