A Vietnam War veteran living in North Fort Myers has been fighting to keep a mural honoring veterans on his home.
The management of his gated community of Del Tura Golf and Country Club informed him that they received a complaint about the mural on his garage door, which depicts the silhouette of a soldier kneeling at the grave of a fallen comrade.
"When I put this up, every guy I was with (in Vietnam) popped into my head," said Bob Masson, who served as a United States Marine in the war. "I could see their faces as clear as could be, and it's killing me to take it down. I feel like I've been kicked in the face."
Masson has lived in Del Tura for 17 years, and put the mural up only three months ago. But Del Tura has rules against murals of any kind displayed on homes in the community.
Tuesday, Masson and a group of his supporters met with community management to see if there was any way to keep the mural in place. "The community manager said he would allow the mural to stay in place until after Memorial Day," said Gary Patterson, another veteran living at Del Tura who went to the meeting in support of Masson.
A message from Scripps station WFTX to Del Tura's management seeking comment was not returned. But Masson said they offered a compromise.
"They said I could have a flag made of it and put on the side of house, or have it in black Plexiglass on the side of my house," he said. "And I'm going to do that."
