3 days ago
EXCLUSIVE Read the shocking full letter a heartless HOA sent family trying to honor fallen Iraq war hero as America takes their side
A homeowner's association that demanded a resident take down her Memorial Day tribute to her late brother, a soldier who died in the Iraq War, has now issued a pathetic defense of its actions.
In a letter obtained by the Daily Mail, Arizona-based Trestle Management Group attempted to explain away the heartless order it sent to Kendall Rasmusson on May 7 calling the banner showing Sgt. John Kyle Daggett in full uniform a 'nuisance.'
The letter, addressed to all the Phoenix-area residents the Desert Oasis HOA is responsible for, comes after Rasmusson slammed Trestle in an interview with a local news station, opening the company up to a torrent of criticism.
Jim Baska, the president of Trestle, told residents he wasn't aware the previous HOA managers had granted Rasmusson 'a conditional letter of approval for the banner' on January 31, 2019.
Ever since then, she had been allowed to display it continuously from the day Sgt. Daggett died, May 15, up until July 14. This covered Memorial Day, Flag Day and Independence Day.
She was also given permission to keep the banner up three days before and 10 days after Veteran's Day, Daggett's birthday and Patriot's Day.
Trestle took over managing homes in Surprise, where Rasmusson lives, in November 2024. Baska said this is the reason they did not know about her prior arrangement.
'We unfortunately were unaware of the previous commitment that granted this homeowner permission to display her memorial during time periods that exceed what is granted in the Association's governing documents,' Baska wrote to residents.
Baska said he was made aware of this exception on Tuesday, though he didn't specify who told him. He also explained that company representatives reached out to Rasmusson about this issue on May 23.
'Now that we are aware of the 2019 approval for the memorial, please note it is 100% the intention of Trestle Management Group and the association's current Board of Directors to honor the previous decision. And again, had we known this initially, we would have certainly taken a much different approach to this situation,' he wrote.
Daggett joined the army right after graduating high school in the summer of 2005 and was serving his first tour in Iraq at the time of his death.
On May 1, he sustained serious injuries from a propelled grenade attack while fighting in Baghdad. He was quickly flown out of the Middle Eastern country to get medical treatment.
While en route to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Daggett's condition worsened, forcing the plane transporting him to land in Halifax, Canada.
After several days of fighting for his life, Daggett died on May 15, 2008, at just 21 years old.
Daggett posthumously received the Bronze Star, a military decoration awarded to soldiers who have committed acts of heroism on the battlefield.
He was also bestowed with a Purple Heart, a honor reserved for service members who have been wounded or killed in battle.
'My brother really loved his country, and I'm very proud, and that's really the point,' Rasmusson has said regarding her insistence on keeping the banner up.
Pictured: Baska's full letter to the residents living under the Desert Oasis HOA in Surprise, Arizona
In his letter to residents, Baska apologized for the May 7 'courtesy notice' sent to Rasmusson that classified the banner of Sgt. Daggett a 'nuisance' under the HOA bylaws.
It also compared the banner to dead trees, rubbish, and debris, which Rasmusson previously said was 'offensive.'
The notice demanded the banner of him be taken down within 14 days of receipt. It also claimed the banner had been up since December 1, 2024, which violates the HOA's rules.
'After several months of continuous display, on May 7th, 2025, our office did issue a resident a courtesy notice for the banner that was affixed to the garage, and kindly asked that it be removed as it was in violation of the community's governing documents,' Baska explained in the letter.
'We do regret the category for which our software system classified this courtesy notice, as in no way do we feel the gravity of honoring a fallen soldier/family member falls under the same umbrella as other community 'nuisance' issues,' he added.
'We will do a quick review of our software platform to determine how we can word this potential violation in a more sensitive manner, should a similar situation arise in the future.
'Please know that we are deeply sorry for any confusion or frustration caused, in our honest and sincere attempts to engage this homeowner in conversation. It was absolutely not our intent to bring any negativity toward your amazing community,' Baska concluded the letter.
Baska's agenda in writing the letter also appears to be inspired by the media coverage about Trestle's initial blunder.
Rasmusson is pictured standing in her front lawn with her patriotic decorations behind her as she talks to AZFamily, the local television station that first interviewed her about her conflict with the HOA
AZFamily was the first to pick up the story, interviewing Rasmusson outside her home and broadcasting the first images of the banner.
In the letter to residents, Baska complained that after AZFamily aired the story, others have come out and distorted the facts.
'Various news outlets and social media forums have picked up parts of the story, and many of these are either not portraying the entire story, or are just flat-out misrepresenting the situation all together,' he wrote.
He claimed that this has led to 'a tremendous number of threatening messages to our staff, which we obviously take quite seriously.'
The Daily Mail has not verified these threats, but there were many people on social media airing out their fury at the HOA.
Tony Cuchiara, who knows the Rasmusson family, posted on Monday that he and his wife, Heather, had recently visited Daggett's grave in Washington, D.C.
'A month ago, Heather and I went on a trip to Washington, D.C. and made it a point to visit our dearly beloved friend Kyle Daggett. He is a hero to us all! I hope this HOA is held responsible for complete and total violation of our rights!!!' he wrote on Facebook.
In another post, he called what the HOA did 'absolute horse****' and demanded it be shut down.
Some residents who live in Surprise under the the HOA launched harsh criticisms against its leadership following this incident
In a post on Facebook, Steven Stein said he lives under this HOA and implied that their showdown with Rasmusson doesn't represent the extent of the problems.
'Trust me when I say I would not have bought here knowing that they'd manage the neighborhood the way that they do,' he wrote.
Michael Barndt, who also lives in Surprise, weighed in on the HOA's approach as well.
'This is absurd, something needs to be done. As a veteran, I'm appalled by the actions of the HOA. This hero gave his life for freedom,' Barndt wrote.
'The display of a memorial tribute has ZERO adverse or negative impact in our community. We all need to support this family and remove the governing body of the HOA,' he concluded.
The United States as a whole has seen a rise in the prevalence of HOAs, despite the bodies often being controversial.
In 1970, just 2.1 million Americans lived in HOA-governed communities, according to the Foundation for Community Research.
By 2023, that number had ballooned to 75.5 million, just under a quarter of the entire US population.
