(COLUSA, CA (MPG) – Colusa County veterans last week taught members of Colusa Girl Scout Troop No. 1764 the symbolism and significance of giving old and tattered American flags a proper send off.
American flags a proper send off.
Colusa Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2441 and Maxwell American Legion Post No. 218 held the flag retirement ceremony at the Scout Cabin on Nov. 8. Girls Scouts of all ages, although mostly Brownies, attended the ceremony and asked questions.
The formal ceremony in which a flag is placed into a burning fire is considered the most respectful way of disposing of worn-out, faded, or unserviceable American flags.
“When it’s done its job, it needs to be retired,” said Ron Azevedo, Maxwell American Legion.
According to the U.S. Flag Code, the flag should not just be tossed into a fire but destroyed by burning in a dignified manner. The ashes that remain are then buried at an undisclosed location, the veterans said.
The flag retirement ceremony by the VFW and American Legion is one of many that are held in Colusa County during the fall.
On Saturday, the VFW and American Legion hosted a formal ceremony to honor all veterans – living or dead – at Veterans Memorial Park in Colusa.
The annual Veteran’s Day ceremony brought the community together to honor men and women who served or are serving in the U.S. armed forces. The ceremony concluded with the reading of the names of Colusa County’s veterans, which are etched into more than 1,000 bricks built into the memorial.
Another solemn ceremony will be held on Dec. 7 in Veterans Memorial Park to remember the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, which launched the U.S. into World War II.
On Dec. 16, the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony and wreath placement will be held at the Colusa Cemetery to honor veterans no longer living.
Flag Retirement, Veterans Day, Pearl Harbor Day, and Wreaths Across America ceremonies serve as important reminders to honor the service of veterans who have sacrificed so much for the freedom Americans hold dear.
For anyone wishing to have an American Flag ceremoniously retired from service, they should place their folded flags in depositories located at either the VFW Hall, 108 E. Main Street, Colusa, or the American Legion Hall, 250
Oak St., Maxwell.