Flag Day 2015: Flag Retirement Ceremony at Lowe McFarlane American Legion Post

The Ceremony for Disposal of Unserviceable Flags is outlined in Resolution No. 440, passed by the 19th National Convention of The American Legion in New York, Sept. 20-23, 1937. The ceremony has been an integral part of American Legion ritual since that date.

WHEREAS, Americanism has been and should continue to be one of the major programs of The American Legion; and

WHEREAS, The observance of proper respect for the Flag of our country and the education of our citizenry in the proper courtesies to be paid the Flag is an essential element of such Americanism program; and

WHEREAS, It is fitting and proper that Flags which have been used for the decoration of graves on Memorial Day be collected after such service, inspected, and worn and unserviceable Flags be condemned and properly destroyed;

WHEREAS, Our Flag which we love and cherish

WHEREAS, In a proper service of tribute and memory and love, our Flag becomes faded and worn and must be honorably retired from life; and

WHEREAS, Such retirement of Flags that have become unserviceable may be done in public with respectful and honorable rites...

RESOLVED, That Flag Day, June 14, be recommended as the most appropriate day on which to annually hold this ceremony.

Sergeant-at-Arms: “Comrade Commander, we wish to present a number of unserviceable Flags of our Country for inspection and disposal.”

Commander: “Comrade Sergeant-at-Arms, advance with your detail and present the Flags for disposal and inspection.”

Second Vice Commander: “Is the present condition of these Flags the result of their usual service as the Emblem of our Country?”

Sergeant-at-Arms: “These Flags have become faded and worn over the graves of our departed comrades and the Soldier, Marine, Sailor, and Airman dead of all our nation’s wars.”

Sergeant-at-Arms: “Comrade Vice Commander, we present these Flags which have been inspected by the Second Vice Commander, for your further inspection.”

First Vice Commander: “Have any of these Flags served any other purpose?”

Sergeant-at-Arms: “Some of these Flags have been displayed in various public places.” 

Sergeant-at-Arms: “Comrade Commander, we have the honor to present for final inspection and proper disposal these Flags of our Country.”

Commander: “Have these Flags been inspected by the First and Second Vice Commanders?”

Sergeant-at-Arms: “They have.”

Second Vice Commander: “Comrade Commander, since these Flags have become unserviceable in a worthy cause, I recommend that they be honorably retired from further service.”

Commander: “Comrade First Vice Commander, what does your inspection show and what do you recommend?”

First Vice-Commander: “Comrade Commander, since these Flags have become faded and worn in a tribute of service and love, I also recommend that they be fittingly destroyed.”

Commander: “Comrades, we have presented here these Flags of our Country which have been inspected and condemned as unserviceable. They have reached their present state in a proper service of tribute, memory and love.

“A Flag may be a flimsy bit of printed gauze, or a beautiful banner of finest silk. Its intrinsic value may be trifling or great; but its real value is beyond price, for it is a precious symbol of all that we and our comrades have worked for and lived for, and died for a free Nation of free men, true to the faith of the past, devoted to the ideals and practice of Justice, Freedom and Democracy.

“Let these faded Flags of our Country be retired and destroyed with respectful and honorable rites and their places be taken by bright new Flags of the same size and kind, and let no grave of our soldier or sailor dead be unhonored and unmarked. Sergeant-at-Arms, assemble the Color Guard, escort the detail bearing the Flags and destroy these Flags by burning. The members shall stand at attention.”

Commander: “The Chaplain will offer prayer.”

Chaplain: “Almighty God, Captain of all hosts and Commander over all, bless and consecrate this present hour.

“We thank Thee for our Country and its Flag, and for the liberty for which it stands. “To clean and purging flame we commit these Flags, worn out in worthy service. As they yield their substance to the fire, may Thy Holy Light spread over us and bring to our hearts renewed devotion to God and Country. Amen.”

Commander: “Hand salute.”

(Text courtesy of The American Legion)

The American Legion Post 14 Flag Retirement Ceremony

Yesterday was Flag Day and as is customary the American Legion Post 14 on Cross Lake conducted its annual Flag Retirement Ceremony.

Steve and I got there early to help set up and prepare for the ceremony; Steve was to participate in the ceremony yesterday and wanted to do a quick run through with the Boy Scouts that would be assisting.

We hauled the podium, amp, and flags out to the hill by the Boy Scout hut, we set up chairs in the shade for spectators, and brought out iced bottles of water.  

Here's our buddy Jerry helping hook up the amp:

The Boy Scouts got the fire going:

Various organizations were present and brought flags to be retired.  The VFW was there:

And Shawn Bohanan, Chef de Gare of  Voiture Locale 137 of the Forty & 8:

My friends John and Julia Dunning were there; I liked this one:

But Steve had me retake it when they were all paying attention:

After everything was set up Steve rounded up his little delegation and ran them through their paces a time or two; the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Young Marines were also there and joined the Scouts in assisting.

A small group of spectators assembled in the shade:

The Flag Retirement Ceremony is very dignified and formal.  A ceremonial flag is presented for inspection by the First and Second Vice-Commander and the Commander says:

Comrades, we have presented here these Flags of our Country which have been inspected and condemned as unserviceable. They have reached their present state in a proper service of tribute, memory and love. 

“A Flag may be a flimsy bit of printed gauze, or a beautiful banner of finest silk. Its intrinsic value may be trifling or great; but its real value is beyond price, for it is a precious symbol of all that we and our comrades have worked for and lived for, and died for a free Nation of free men, true to the faith of the past, devoted to the ideals and practice of Justice, Freedom and Democracy. 

“Let these faded Flags of our Country be retired and destroyed with respectful and honorable rites and their places be taken by bright new Flags of the same size and kind, and let no grave of our soldier or sailor dead be unhonored and unmarked. Sergeant-at-Arms, assemble the Color Guard, escort the detail bearing the Flags and destroy these Flags by burning. The members shall stand at attention.”

There is a prayer, and a bugler plays "To the Colors" and "Taps".  

One of the values of the ceremony, I think, is the dignity of it and the respect that the young people learn.  

Those participating did an awesome job.

The local media was there scrambling for the perfect shot:

And the firemen were there to keep everything safe!

After the bugler is finished, the flags are placed on the iron grate for burning.  At that point, legionnaires and veterans in attendance assist the Scouts in placing the flags on the grate.

This goes on for a while as the flags are properly consumed by the fire.  There were lots and lots of flags that had been collected through the year.

The fire department was at the ready:

You definitely wanted to stay out of the smoke:

The column of black smoke could be seen for miles:

And the heat from the fire was intense:

Just as it was all over and the fire about burned out, a lady drove up with a handful of flags and those went in too.  

It all took about forty-five minutes and then it was done.  

We loaded up the podium, chairs, amp, and the Post flags and cleaned everything up then adjourned to the lounge for some cold refreshments.  

Following that, Jerry, Steve and I went to grab some lunch then spent the rest of the afternoon cruising Cross Lake and just drifting the afternoon away.  

Check out this magnificent heron:

He was awesome:

And if all that wasn't enough fun, I made friends with a stray, nearly feral, kitten that is hanging around the Legion;  I fed her ham, cheese and crackers from our boat snacks.  It took me forever to get her to let me pet her but once she decided I was okay, she was very sweet.  We are going out there today to take some proper food for her so that whoever is on site each day can feed her.  

If you know of anyone who wants a sweet, beautiful kitten, let me know!

Check Your Flag

As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day this week, please take a moment to check your flag for wear, especially if you are a business owner.  (I've seen a few around town that should have been retired long ago!)  If your flag is faded, ripped, or torn, please take it down and replace it.

Old and worn out flags can be delivered or mailed to any American Legion for proper retirement.

And while we're at it, please don't buy an American flag pet bed for your dog, or an American flag swimsuit.  You should probably take a pass on the American flag shoes, too.  And for crying out loud, don't drop your flag to the ground and stomp on it.

The American Flag protocol can be found here.

Post-Election Thoughts (UPDATING ...)

What a great day to be an American!

I participated in Professor Jacobson's live blog event last night as a panelist so this blog was quiet for the most part. The good Professor reports that over 2500 participants took part in that event and I can attest that it was good fun. It was fun watching the returns with a bunch of other giddy people!  You never know what kind of things you'll learn etither; I learned that it's Paul Revere and not Sam Adams on the label of my beer bottle. 

Anyway, like the Professor, I'll have some thoughts through they day about last night, but for now, there's not enough caffeine in the house.  I do have a couple of loose thoughts I want to record, however:

1.  The biggest thrill of the night had to be Marco Rubio's victory.  It was not a surprise as in the final days Rubio was really pulling away in the polls.  But what a wonderful speech Rubio delivered and what a bright future he has!  Thank you Florida!  Thank you for voting for Marco Rubio.

2.  John Boehner's speech:  I've never seen such an emotional Boehner although reports are that he is quite an emotional guy and does that often.  I liked the response by Fuzzy Slippers in the Live Blog stream in Boehner's defense:  he's worked hard his entire life and has never been given a pass.  This really means something to him.  He knows its importance.

3.  I was following a lot of the House races in the southern region (where I live) and was caught by a couple that flipped back and forth all night and stayed very, very close.  Neither was decided when I finally went to bed last night.  One was the AL-02 race with Bobby Bright (D) and Martha Roby (R).  Roby finally prevailed in that race with 51.1% of the vote.  By most accounts, the Democrat, Bright, is as conservative a Democrat as you're likely to find.  He voted against the stimulus, against Cap and Trade, against the health care bill.  He had raised a lot more money than Roby, yet she prevailed.  The district is primarily Republican but has a tendency to vote Democrat at state and local levels, so it could be considered an upset that Roby won.

The other race I had my eye on that was very close was the TX-27 race where the incumbent Solomon Ortiz (D) was defeated by Republican Blake Farenthold by a final vote of 47.9% to 47.1%.  This race is a real testament to the notion that every vote counts.  Don't ever think your vote doesn't matter.  It does.

4.  The Nevada race was a disappointment.  I was so sorry that Reid won, but in looking for the bright side I suppose it will keep Republicans on their toes and will keep the Tea Party energized.  In his speech last night Reid said, "Americans have chosen the politics of hope over the politics of fear!"  That sea of red on the maps now sure looks like hope to me!

5.  The Florida Governor's election is has not yet been decided.  Hmmmm.

My brain needs caffeine.  I'll be back.  Here are some thoughts from others in the meantime:

Michelle Malkin has her post-election column.
Professor Jacobson has some random thoughts.
Stacy McCain & Smitty were live-blogging and have some insight.
Michael Barone has some post-election analysis.

And, as always, Memeorandum has exploding, ongoing threads on the aftermath of last night's wave.

Update:  Scratch No. 5 above, Dem. Alex Sink just gave a concession speech.

Update #2:  Good grief, I just noticed that CA re-elected Pete Stark 71.5% to 28.5% over Forest Baker.  Incredible.  Good Lord almighty I just don't have the words.  Good luck out there, folks.

Update #3:  The caffeine is helping.  But now I have a headache:  TX-18 went to Sheila Jackson Lee. Good grief.  Lunacy.  Like the Stark race in CA, it wasn't even close.  70.2% to 27.3%.  Oh well, at least she's never dull (I mean, boring.)

Update #4:  Arizona 07 and 08, both southern border counties, both went, or are leaning, Democrat.  You can draw all kinds of conclusions from that.  This handy-dandy map is great.  In the Senate, three races are still too close to call.

Update #5:  The Republican Leadership press conference:  Mitch McConnell and Boehner both declare themselves ready to "listen to the American people" and are ready to "turn the ship around" on the Obama agenda.  McConnell:  "Ignoring the voters and their wishes...produces predictable results." McConnell said, "Choosing the president over your constituents is not a good strategy."

To Democrats, McConnell suggests they listen to the voters and work with Republicans.

Haley Barbour is there also to comment on the governor's races which he says is a referendum on Obama's policies.  "The voters yesterday voted against excessive spending, piling on of deficits...huge tax increases coming in January and a takeover of the health care system." 

Boehner says Pelosi called him this morning and left him "a very nice voicemail" and he expects a smooth transition.

He also says "continuing all the current tax rates for all Americans is the right policy at this time."

One thing Boehner says is very true:  there are more people engaged in American government right now than ever.  People are finally paying attention.  McConnell points out that this is just a "first step" in changing direction for Washington.  Further change can happen in 2012; he also points out there will still have to be bi-partisan agreement to get things done.

Update #6:  Althouse had a fun live-blog last night.

It's a Dual Holiday - Flag Day and the U.S. Army's Birthday

Today is both Flag Day and the 235th birthday of the U.S. Army.

It is believed that Flag Day was first celebrated in 1885.  The tradition continued somewhat informally for years after that and finally in 1893 the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America adopted a resolution requesting that everyone fly the flag on that day, June 14.  It was not until 1949 that Truman signed an Act of Congress designating the day as Flag Day.  You can read more history here.

Last year on Flag Day I posted a favorite anecdote from the Leo Thorsness book, Surviving Hell:  A POW's Journey.  I'm going to re-post it because it's a reminder of how much our flag really means:

Thorsness was captured in 1967 during the Vietnam War;  his cellmate Mike brought them to tears when he scrounged together items to make a flag;

"Mike scrounged a small piece of red roof tile and laboriously ground it into a powder, which mixed with a bit of water, became a faded red or maroon color to make the flag's stripes. We had gotten a bit of medicine in the last year of our captivity, usually a blue pill of unknown provenance prescribed for afflictions. Mike patiently leached the color out of one of the pills and used it to make a blue square in the upper left of the handkerchief. With a needle made from bamboo wood and thread pulled from our single blanket, he stitched little white stars on this field of blue."

It took Mike a couple of weeks to make that flag, working secretly so the guards would not know, and when he proudly showed it to his cellmates, some of them cried. When the guards found the flag, of course, Mike was tortured as he knew he would be all along.

As for the Army, of course, when the Revolutionary War broke out there was no single national army but rather each state had its own militia.  The Continental Congress met in May to solve this problem and created a national army.  On June 14, 1775, Congress approved the national army and the next day named George Washington as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.  You can read more about the formation of the Army here.

To honor both the Army and our flag, here is the Army Field Band with The Star Spangled Banner - awesome!



Update:  Click on over to Pecan Corner; she's got the first recruiting poster for the Continental Army.  Neat!

A Patriot Every Single Day

By now you've heard about the kids in California who were sent home from school for wearing American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo.  I wanted to point out, in case you missed it, the response Victor Davis Hanson left on The Corner yesterday:

A few youths were sent home from the local high school for subervisely wearing American-flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. “I think they should apologize,’cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day,” Annicia Nunez, a Live Oak High student, said. “We don’t deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn’t do that on Fourth of July.”

Note the use of “we,” suggesting an ethnic allegiance that trumps the national one; note the equation of a Mexican Heritage Day with the Fourth of July; note the strange idea that the sight of the American flag leads to one being “disrespected”; and, of course, note the action by the school’s administration — banishing the boys for apparently politically incorrect, subversive behavior.

He is correct, of course.

At The Morgan Hill Times, one of the offended Latin American students says,

"It's disrespectful to do it on Cinco de Mayo," said Jessica Cortez, a Live Oak sophomore. "They can be a patriot on some other day. Not that specific day." 

I don't guess the First Amendment stands for much in California these days.  

With all due respect to Miss Cortez, I will be a patriot every single day; I'll be a patriot on the Fourth of July, on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, hell, even Boxing Day and Bastille Day.  I'll be a patriot on Thanksgiving, Christmas (oh yes, I can say Christmas here), and even on Cinco de Mayo. 


(Photo by: Lora Schraft:  The Morgan Hill Times)

No American Flag in Haiti

Don't miss this post by Ed Morrissey at Hot Air regarding the Obama administration's decision NOT to fly the American flag at our main relief installation in Haiti.

Ed points to this Army Times article for the story:

The Obama administration says flying the flag could give Haiti the wrong idea.

"We are not here as an occupation force, but as an international partner committed to supporting the government of Haiti on the road to recovery," the U.S. government's Haiti Joint Information Center said in response to a query about the flag.

You will remember that there was some flap from France, Venezuela, and Nicaragua about the U.S. being an "occupational force" right after the earthquake. Ed says:

The decision not to fly the flag is an embarrassment of weakness on the part of Obama. Our nation has conducted relief efforts for decades through our military, saving millions of people from death, disease, and starvation. Like France, Britain, and Croatia, we have flown our flag during those operations not to note occupation but to represent the American people’s solidarity with those suffering from disaster. That historical record is answer itself to the lunatics in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and even France who indulge in paranoid hysteria.

Army Col. Billy Buckner defends the decision and says it's a smart and sensitive decision:

“We are respectful as the invited guests of the Government of Haiti,” Buckner said. “Our commanders are smart and intuitively understand their mission here in Haiti and clearly the sensitivities that come with supporting the mission. In most cases, they have operated in a [counterinsurgency] environment in Iraq and Afghanistan and know how to interact with the people. Bottom line is our commanders are using their best judgment to focus on the mission.

“It is no mystery that U.S. forces are on the ground, and we proudly wear an American flag on our right sleeve,” Buckner said.

In The Navy Times Buckner says there is no "prohibition" from flying the flag:

There is no official prohibition from doing so there or at any of the U.S. operating bases supporting relief operations in Haiti — either by the military or the State Department, officials said. But, said Army Col. Billy Buckner, a spokesman for Joint Task Force-Haiti, “We have just chosen not to do so.”

As Andy McCarthy says, "Day by day, bit by bit..."

Col. Van Barfoot Raised His American Flag This Morning

Updating a story I posted here, word tonight is Col. Van T. Barfoot will be allowed to keep his flagpole. His Homeowners Association has dropped its demand that he remove his flagpole which was a position that no doubt brought incredibly negative attention to their corner of the world.

You will remember that Barfoot, a 90-year old Medal of Honor recipient, had been told to remove the flagpole because it violated the "aesthetic values" of the neighborhood. Mark Levin got hold of the story on December 4 and the response was explosive.

Hot Air posted this clip of Levin's telling Barfoot's story. It's seven minutes well spent:



Now, Barfoot gets to raise the American flag every morning and lower it at sunset, just as he has done all his life, and just as he has earned the right to do.

A victory!

More at Memeorandum.

(Photo credit: AP Photo/Richmond Times-Dispatch, Eva Russo)

Flag Day

It's Flag Day and Jules Crittenden has a kickass roundup!

I've got to say, in light of the news coming out of Iran, I'm even more grateful than ever to fly my flag today.

In fact, I'll quote my own blog when back in April I wrote about Leo Thorsness and his time in captivity. His cellmate Mike brought them to tears when he scrounged together items to make a flag; this is from Surviving Hell: A Pow's Journey:

"Mike scrounged a small piece of red roof tile and laboriously ground it into a powder, which mixed with a bit of water, became a faded red or maroon color to make the flag's stripes. We had gotten a bit of medicine in the last year of our captivity, usually a blue pill of unknown provenance prescribed for afflictions. Mike patiently leached the color out of one of the pills and used it to make a blue square in the upper left of the handkerchief. With a needle made from bamboo wood and thread pulled from our single blanket, he stitched little white stars on this field of blue."

It took Mike a couple of weeks to make that flag, working secretly so the guards would not know, and when he proudly showed it to his cellmates, some of them cried. When the guards found the flag, of course, Mike was tortured as he knew he would be all along.

Put out your flag today!

And If THIS Doesn't Bring a Tear To Your Eye...

Changing of the Guard, Buckingham Palace, 9/11/2001



Even Steve shed a tear on this one.

Note to Obama

Dear Mr. Obama,

Shame on your campaign for dumping 12,000 flags in the dumpster after your big show at Invesco Field. You might be happy to know that they have been rescued by a vendor at the field and will be distributed by Boy Scouts to be used in Mr. McCain's rally this afternoon. We know you didn't personally dump the flags in the dumpster but you might want to advise your volunteers to study up on the U.S. Flag code. It doesn't make such a good impression on Americans when their flag is treated with disrespect. Thanks so much.

Your Average American