Patriotic memorial flagged in Agoura

13 Old Glories displayed by resident, but quickly removed



FLAG SALUTE—The 13 American flags on the Chesebro pedestrian bridge in Agoura Hills looking south. They were put up on Aug. 28 and lasted two days before Caltrans took them down, citing public safety. A second memorial was placed at Willow Elementary School, and also taken down. Courtesy of Larry Viole

FLAG SALUTE—The 13 American flags on the Chesebro pedestrian bridge in Agoura Hills looking south. They were put up on Aug. 28 and lasted two days before Caltrans took them down, citing public safety. A second memorial was placed at Willow Elementary School, and also taken down. Courtesy of Larry Viole

It was an inspiring, if momentary display of American patriotism last weekend along the 101 Freeway corridor in Agoura Hills.

Atop a pedestrian bridge that crosses the freeway near Chesebro Road stood 13 bright red, white and blue flags facing southbound travelers, each representing one of the 13 American service members who died Aug. 26 during the tragic evacuation operation in Kabul, Afghanistan.

America’s longest war ended Aug. 31.

Bryce Viole, a 22-year-old Agoura Hills resident and proud patriot, went to the top the bridge at 9 p.m. Aug. 28 and, with the help of his father, Larry Viole, the two used zip ties to secure the flags on the fencing that faces the structure’s north side. By Aug. 30 they were gone.

“I was a little bit upset,” said Viole, a 2016 Agoura High School graduate who runs his own handyman business.

“I don’t think a memorial like that should have been taken down so quickly.”

So what happened?

The California Department of Transportation, which maintains the footbridge, took them down due to safety concerns.

“In the past, we have not allowed anything over the highway,” said Lauren Wonder, Caltrans spokesperson.

Mike Comeaux of Caltrans added, “We have a firm policy that anything that could fall on the roadway and be detrimental to safety is a concern.” He said the flags represented a “significant distraction” to motorists passing below.

“Our role is to promote safety and protect the public,” he said.

American flags collected from positions overlooking area freeways are held for a time, and if not returned to their original owner they are often given to the Veterans of Foreign Wars service organization, Comeaux said.

Passing underneath the Lynn Road overpass in Thousand Oaks, freeway commuters were slowed multiple times last year by drivers looking at a gaggle of flags and political signs on the bridge relating to the 2020 election season.

Similar displays appeared elsewhere in the Southland. Thirteen flags were placed over the 91 Freeway in Riverside, and those were vandalized, according to reports.

The younger Viole, whose grandfather served in the Navy and who has several friends in the military, wasn’t deterred by the removal of his Chesebro flag memorial.

Following another stop at Home Depot to buy more inventory, he scouted a second mission and, on the evening of Sept. 1, tied 13 more of the 5-foot-by-8- foot flags on the fence at Willow Elementary School facing Kanan Road in Agoura Hills. But the next day those flags were gone too. It’s not known yet whether that batch was taken by the Las Virgenes Unified School District, of which Willow is a part.

True to his humble nature, Viole didn’t want his picture taken by The Acorn, or to say how much money he’s invested in the 26 flags, which are now gone. Suffice to say it’s in the hundreds.

“It was the right thing to do,” he said.

“My son put these flags up and I couldn’t be more proud of him,” said mom Kelby Viole in a social media post. “He has a huge heart and what happened last week devastated him, as it did all of us. These young service men and women deserve our respect and acknowledgment.”

Bryce Viole can’t understand why his love for the American flag and tribute to fallen service members hasn’t gone over well in the community. “They have an ordinance against freedom of speech, apparently,” he said.

Wonder understands the frustration, and said, “It’s always an emotional issue with flags.”

Undeterred, Viole said he plans on yet one more attempt. “We’ll go for a third time, I just don’t know where.” Keep your eyes peeled.