LAKE CITY — A vibrant new U.S. flag eventually will become faded and tattered, but the stars and stripes need a fitting disposal at the end of their lifespan, local American Legion leaders said.
On Oct. 20 in Lake City, the American Legion Wilbur Jones Post No. 73 held a flag retirement ceremony for at least 75 flags that were worn or damaged beyond repair.
The flags were gathered starting at 5 p.m. in front of the Ronald McNair memorial, on East Main Street. An hour and a half later, the flags were presented and incinerated during a ceremony that lasted nearly 30 minutes.
Post Commander Sonny Hallman welcomed members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and all other veterans in attendance.
“We are also joined in spirit by those who have been taken prisoners of war or are missing in action,” Post Adjutant Jim Haynes said.
“They are not forgotten; they shall never be forgotten,” he said.
A black POW-MIA flag was draped over a chair facing the crowd at the event. Legionnaire Harold Reel said it was the casket flag of his father, Abb Morgan Reel, who served in France from 1917 to 1919, during World War I.
The flag retirement ceremony was approved by the National Convention of the American Legion in 1937, Haynes said.
The purpose is to encourage proper respect and dignified disposal for U.S. flags, he said.
The suggested date for the ceremony is June 14, which is Flag Day. The ceremony typically is held in conjunction with an American Legion baseball game, but this year, Flag Day fell on a weekend when no games were scheduled, Haynes said.
Therefore, the local Legion Post decided to hold the event this month in lieu of one of the post’s regularly scheduled meetings, he said.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement