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!

Flag Ceremony at American Legion

Steve and I attended the Flag Retirement Ceremony at The American Legion on Flag Day.  It was a somber and serious ceremony where many flags were respectfully retired according to proper flag retirement protocol.

I just want to clarify that because in this picture it looks like there are "a lot of flags in a big old pile on the ground," and that's not the case.  Under these flags was a metal rack to keep them off the ground, however, some of the huge "holiday" or garrison flags just were so big and would drape over the sides.  When that happened, an attendant with a long pole with a hook on the end would move in and re-position the flags so they were off the ground.

The American Legion Post 14 conducted a moving and respectful ceremony and we were proud to be able to take part.  I apologize if the picture looks otherwise.

Summer at SIGIS

It's Flag Day!  And the Army's birthday!  Hooah!

I'm loving summer.  Yes, it was 100 degrees here yesterday and it hasn't rained in two forevers, but I love summer.  It's such a lazy time - at least it is around here.  I can waste an entire day and not feel guilty about it.  Other times I feel an obsessive compulsion to be "productive" and get "something" done. 

Maybe I'll finally paint the bedroom and the kitchen this summer.  (I've been saying that for two years; don't hold your breath.)

Summer is when I take long, lingering trips to the library or through an antique mall.  Barnes and Noble!  Summer is when I hit the garage sales and estate sales on Fridays and Saturdays!  In the summer I have time to actually cook, but don't usually feel like it because I'd rather be lazy. 

Summer at SIGIS is  when the crepe myrtles bloom:

It's when the hostas are up and thriving in the shade where it's still at least 98 degrees...

It's where the geraniums are loving the heat:

...and the impatiens need a little more water than usual...

The dog is oblivious to the heat; he just wants someone to throw the tennis ball:

He would chase the ball until he drops.  He has to be told to stop and go inside. 

Summer is when the coneflowers bloom:

and an inviting place to sit beckons:

Summer is when you have fresh blueberries ready for cobbler:

And at the end of the day, it's time for a good book and a cold beer on the deck:

I hope you're enjoying your summer as much as I'm enjoying mine! 

Happy Flag Day!

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!