Veteran "infuriated" American flags were removed from family members' graves in Newton

When Donnie Doherty's family drove through Newton Cemetery for their weekly visit earlier this week, they noticed his father's tombstone had something missing.

Doherty's father, uncle, cousin and other family members are buried at the cemetery in Newton, Massachusetts. All of them are veterans, as is Doherty who served in Afghanistan. His father's tombstone usually has the American flag, Irish flag and a military flag flanking either side, but those appeared to be removed on Monday.

"I was infuriated," said Doherty. "I fought for that flag, and I'd fight for it again, and my family members have fought for that flag." He went on to say his mother was the first to notice the flags were missing. 

"At first my mother had told me they were gone and then when I came here and found all the flags were gone," Doherty said. "When I spoke with somebody, they told me they were told to remove them."

Doherty claims cemetery staff removed all the flags from the grounds. He said he was aware that flags could not stay up year-round, but these had been removed just a week after Flag Day, which goes directly against the cemetery's own policy.

WBZ-TV reached out to Newton Cemetery for an interview on this report but did not hear back. Their website states:

"Flags at graves are allowed for Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Veterans Day only. Flags may be placed up to two weeks before Memorial and Veteran's Day and will remain until two weeks after Flag Day and Veterans Day."

Aside from allegedly being removed before the two-week period following Flag Day (June 14), Doherty was hopeful he would be able to display a flag at his family members' graves for America's 250th on July 4th. 

"I asked them about Independence Day and about Veterans Day and they said, 'no you can't put them on there, we can't put decorations.' I said, 'the American flag is not a decoration.' That's what infuriated me. That flag is sacred as far as I am concerned. We fly that flag to show our strength, our unity as a country and to just throw it away is throwing our freedom away."