GELNHAUSEN, Germany — Although it is a bedroom community, Coleman Barracks isn’t swaddled in seclusion.

The green, fenced-in housing area borders the main street running through the small German city of Gelnhausen.

There are all the telltale signs of an American military community: apartment blocks, gate guards, U.S. plated vehicles and a pedestrian stoplight for the school directly across the street.

“People know we are here, and have been for many years,” said Staff Sgt. Shawn Watson.

Yet when school started last fall, the new principal believed a lower profile was in order.

Gelnhausen Elementary School practically sits on the roadway, with the front steps and flagpoles not far from the perimeter fence and curb.

So Essie Grant decided to stop flying the American flag in the name of security, a decision that irked battle-hardened veterans such as Watson.

“It’s my flag,” said Watson, adding he was “disgusted” by the move. “I watched (fellow soldiers) die right in front of me in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

“I don't think an American flag flying is going to make a difference” in terms of security, Watson added.

The flag flap has caused tension between Watson and some parents, though a solution in the works may help smooth things over.

Watson has accepted a parent’s suggestion to move the flagpole to the back of the school between the playground and parking lot.

A work order is now pending.

“We do not want to draw too much attention to ourselves,” said Grant, who then alluded to the deadly school siege in southern Russia last fall.

“The housing area is right across the street,” she added. “Do you see a flag flying over there? We are just concerned about the safety of our children, and that's the bottom line.”

While the issue has caused friction between school officials and some parents, both sides share a profound respect for the flag.

Grant and Watson used the word “pride” in describing what the banner represents.

The controversy underscores the balance military communities are trying to strike in this post 9-11 world between patriotism and security.

“Flying the flag is important,” said Gene Hindle, the Heidelberg School District safety and security officer, “but taking care of the children is paramount.”

Once the flagpole is relocated to the back of the school, Grant intends to renew the practice of allowing fifth-grade students to serve as the guardians of the flag.

For years, they have taken turns raising and lowering the flag each school day.

The loss of that experience, Watson said, is one of the reasons why he and other parents have complained.

Marion Iliff, another concerned parent, wondered why it’s taking so long to raise the flagpole at its new location.

Claudia Davenport, the parent who hatched the compromise, said she has no doubts the flagpole will be up soon.

Davenport noted that her daughter, Michaela, and other fifth graders are anxious to send Old Glory skyward.

Said Davenport: “We are getting our flag back.”

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