By Thomas Smith, Post 44 Historian
Braving the summer heat, American Legion Post 44 (“Best Damn Post in the West”) hosted a community event on Flag Day (June 14) to honor members who have passed.
Flag Day is celebrated in the United States every year on June 14 to commemorate the day the first flag resolution was passed. On Flag Day, several American Legion posts retire flags that are no longer serviceable. Burning an old warn out flag is one method of flag retirement, which is what the American Legion Post 44 did last Friday.
“We must always honor and respect the United States flag. It’s not just for all the good things that has happened with our nation that our flag represents,” said Ron Smith, Post 44 Commander. “It’s also those things that we might not be so proud of. It’s still our flag. It’s our history. Honorably retiring a flag is showing respect to those that came before us.”
Smith also added that any civilian who may have an old warn out flag and don’t know how to get rid of it, feel free to drop it off at Post 44 to be disposed of properly and honorably.
The Post 44 Color Guard provided much of the pageantry leading those in attendance through the flag retirement ceremony.
