WATERVILLE (AP) – The commander of a local Veterans of Foreign Wars post says he has no regrets about trying to remove a peace display – even though he wound up being arrested and could be expelled from the organization.

Wayne Elkins of Oakland and four other members of VFW Post 1285 were arrested on criminal trespass charges when they defied police orders Thursday and began tearing up 2,000 white flags planted by peace activists in remembrance of the nation’s war dead in Iraq.

VFW State Commander Walter McCallister met Sunday with members of Post 1285 and a committee to determine what disciplinary action should be taken as a result of the incident at Veterans Memorial Park on the eve of Veterans Day.

Andre Dumas, the organization’s state adjutant, refused to comment on potential punishment, but Elkins confirmed that he was in danger of losing his membership, pending a decision at the national level, the Central Maine Morning Sentinel reported.

Elkins said McCallister and the committee were recommending that national officers issue a written reprimand but allow Elkins to remain a VFW member.

No matter what the national leaders decide, Elkins said he remained unrepentant. He said veterans from around the world had been calling members of VFW Post 1285 to express support for what the five members had done.

“Hey listen, no matter what, I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Elkins told the newspaper. “You’re not going to stomp on my veterans.”

The five men said their chief objection was the color of the flags, which they equated with retreat and surrender, rather than the flags themselves. Members of Waterville Area Bridges for Peace disagreed, saying white is the standard color for recognizing war dead.

“White is the color of all the war memorials all over the world,” said Arne Springorum, the peace group’s project chairman. “You look at Arlington Cemetery, at France, at Belgium. They always have white crosses and white stones.”

Springorum and other Bridges for Peace members said they would welcome an opportunity for an exchange of views about the peace display.

“We’ve opened our doors to any dialogue, and I don’t know if anything has come of that. I don’t blame the veterans at all. They were acting on their conscience, and so are we. And it’s too bad we didn’t get a chance to talk,” Springorum said.

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