Confederate flag removed from Columbia man’s house, burned

[gtxvideo vid=”baCQSXAO” playlist=”” pid=”rkijshg2″ thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/baCQSXAO.jpg” vtitle=”Confederate flag burned”]

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — When Governor Nikki Haley first announced her plan to remove the Confederate Flag from State House grounds, she mentioned that you have the right to fly one on your own property. One Columbia man took that message to heart, but this weekend, someone made it clear, they do not approve of his decision. 72-year-old Sandy Mars had never owned a Confederate flag before last week. “I have honor for my ancestor, and I want to remember him, and I put it up,” he says. Mars says he was woken up Sunday morning by police, who were in the neighborhood. The flag had been taken off his front porch and stuck in the ground by the mailbox. “It had been set on fire, and burned.” Mars’ great-grandfather served with the Confederate States Army in the Civil War. “I am one of very few people who knew a person who knew a Confederate War veteran,” he says. Elbert Mathis was captured during the battle of Marietta. He was involved in a prisoner exchange, and released in Virginia. He walked all the way home to Georgia, where Mars’ grandmother was born after the war. “So had he not persevered, I wouldn’t be here.” Mars says he’s puzzled and disappointed by someone’s decision to trespass and burn his property, but he’s not changing his mind. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department says it’s investigating what happened. There were a few items taken from Mars’ camper that’s parked in his driveway.