File photo
American Legion Post 23 in Portsmouth will have an official Flag Day disposal ceremony today. Seen here, members of American Legion Post 461 in Portsmouth dispose of old flags at their official Flag Day ceremony last year.
Frank Lewis
PDT Staff Writer
Have you ever wondered what to do when you replace a tattered American flag? There is a process that must be followed, and members of James Dickey Post 23 of the American Legion will hold a ceremony at 6 p.m. today, in which American flags will be disposed of properly.
“We will be retiring flags because there is a proper procedure to do that. The flags are burned,” Post 23 Commander Ken Crawford said. “We’re going to have the ceremony. There will be the color guard, and there will be several officers from the Post. We do this every year, and this year we’re going to have the ceremony on the actual Flag Day which is June 14.”
Crawford said anyone wishing to retire a flag can bring that flag to the Post for disposal during the ceremony, which Crawford said should last approximately 15-20 minutes. The ceremony is open to the public, and afterwards refreshments will be served.
“It’s a pretty impressive ceremony,” Crawford said. “All of the officers will be dressed in their uniforms.”
Crawford stressed the importance of following the proper protocol when disposing of a flag.
“The flag is the symbol of our country. And it is to be treated with respect and honor,” Crawford said. “When a flag has served it’s time, and it is starting to get tattered or worn, there’s a proper way of disposing of it which shows respect to the flag, and to the country, and to the men and women who served the flag.”
In the United States Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.
Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 232, or at flewis@heartlandpublications.com
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