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<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nAccording to KTVT<\/a>, Howard Banks, a 92-year-old veteran who was blinded at the battle for Iwo Jima was assaulted when he tried to prevent criminals from defacing his flag at his home in Kaufman, Texas.<\/p>\n \u201cI walked out, hanging onto the railing, and stepped down. That must\u2019ve startled them,\u201d Banks said.<\/p>\n Banks said the first time this happened, about a year ago, someone shredded his American flag and ripped his Marine flag. He was determined not to let that happen again.<\/p>\n \u201cThey could see me. I couldn\u2019t see them. I turned and looked in the other direction, and about then – wham! One of them knocked me down,\u201d Banks said.<\/p>\n Whoever did it took off. Neighbors rushed in to help Banks up. His knee was left a little twisted, he said, and he suffered bumps and bruises.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Some Marines at Honor Flight Austin heard about the incident and went to visit with him according to the Washington Times<\/a>;<\/p>\n On Sunday, he was paid a visit by fellow Marine veterans from Honor Flight Austin, who offered him a free trip to Washington, D.C. to see the National World War II Memorial.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, first, you start messing with the American flag, I get real hot under the collar. And then, when I found out that they yanked the Marine Corps flag down, that made my bottom spicy,\u201d Michael Jernigan, a Marine corporal with the Blinded American Veterans Foundation, told Fox.<\/p>\n \u201cThis guy is living history. He\u2019s a national treasure. People should be lined up on his porch to talk to him, not ripping his flags down,\u201d added Honor Flight Austin Director Kory Ryan.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"