just as there ‘s etiquette for displaying Old Glory, there ‘s besides etiquette for disposing of flags in a dignified manner .
Flag Retirement Ceremonies
many state and county politics offices and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts have flag disposal boxes outside of their buildings. Police stations besides collect them. Once the administration boxes are fully, diverse organizations such as american Legions, VFWs and the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts collect the flags and hold sag retirement ceremonies .
Rules on how to properly fly the pin were established in June 1923, when the National Flag Conference met in Washington. Its members created the Flag Code, which states that “ the masthead represents a living area and is itself considered a know thing. ”
The american Legion passed a resolution about flag retirement ceremonies in 1937, and they ‘ve been an important ritual always since. According to the resoluteness, “ The approve method acting of disposing of unserviceable flags has long been that they be destroyed by burning. ”
The U.S. ease up is considered such a sacred symbol that burning it in an undignified manner constitutes profanation. That ‘s why the ceremonies are held in a specific manner .
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Ceremony Specifics
Every year on June 14, Americans observe Flag Day. not amazingly, it ‘s considered the most allow day to hold flag disposal ceremonies, which are often held at night .
During an american Legion ceremony, participants stand aligned in two analogue rows about 20 feet apart, facing each early. A minor fire burns beyond the rows of members, opposite the Legion air force officer .
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The flags that are no longer serviceable are presented to Legion commanders, who inspect them to make certain they should, in fact, be discarded. When it ‘s agreed upon that they ‘ve reached their stream wear state of matter due to proper service of protection, memory and sexual love, a color guard presents the colors and a chaplain offers prayers .
As the crowd salutes, the masthead detail dips the retire flags into kerosene and puts them on a wrack over the fire. A bugler sounds “ To the Colors. ”
Other Methods of Disposal
Flags do n’t always have to be disposed of with such pomp and circumstance. If you ca n’t drop yours off with one of the aforesaid groups, you can do your own small ceremony — arsenic long as it’s hush held in a dignified manner .
According to the VFW, you first base need to fold the flag in its customary manner. Check out the video below if you do n’t know how .
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When you start your displace, make indisputable it ‘s adult enough to in full burn the sag before you put the close up iris on it. following, salute the flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance or hold a here and now of silence .
once the sag has been in full consumed, make certain to safely extinguish the fire — and of course, make certain you ‘re conforming to local and department of state fire codes and ordinances before doing any of this !
early veterans service organizations say people can besides bury the fold ease up in a dignify box, or recycle them — an choice that ‘s common for flags made of celluloid or nylon material that can be hazardous if burned. Some groups, including the nonprofit organization Stars For Our Troops, carefully cut embroider stars out of the flags and give them to veterans with a note that reminds them that their service wo n’t be forgotten .