More than 1,000 U.S. flags were properly retired Friday in a ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Park.
The Flag Day event was the largest such service in the area in recent memory.
June 14 is Flag Day, a national holiday honoring the creation of the Stars and Stripes.
“We honor our American Flag and retire the ones that are no longer in any condition to be displayed,” said Angela Norris, one of the event’s organizers.
VFW Post 8073, American Legion Post 507 and the Veterans Memorial Park of America have been collecting tattered and worn flags for months.
“Commander W.H. Morris decided that we should have a Flag Retirement Ceremony on to honor Flag Day,” Norris said, “so we invited Boy Scout Troops and the public to come and participate.”
U.S. code requires that flags to be retired be properly folded, inspected and burned, without ever touching the ground.
Eagle Scout Jennings Buffkin (Troop 507-Peace Baptist) did his Eagle Project at the veterans park by welding a flag retirement cabinet. The cabinet has the American flag on the front and Boy Scout Insignia on the back. Jennings’ project was used for the ceremony, along with a barrel that had been donated and designed for flag retirement.
“The two cabinets worked great together to retire more than 1,000 American flags,” Norris said. The Board of Directors is proud of Jennings and encourages other scouts to be a part of the Veterans Memorial Park of America.
The Board of Directors also thanked Boy Scout Troop 507 for their help setting up and participation, and David Harrelson for playing “Taps.”
