VFW and Boy Scouts to Conduct Flag Retirement at Memorial Park

The Auxiliary of the D. Merl Tipton VFW Post 43 and Boy Scout Troop 358 will again conduct a Flag Retirement Ceremony on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, at 5:45 p.m., at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park in the area directly behind the cattle barns. The ceremony should last approximately 30 minutes.

The flag code states that a national flag that is worn beyond repair is to be burned in a fire. The ceremony should be conducted with dignity and respect and the flag burned completely to ashes.

The ceremony is open to the public, and everyone is invited to attend. Since there is no seating available, attendees may want to bring a chair if they are unable to stand for any period of time.

If the flag you are displaying is fraying, torn and tattered, or faded, it needs to be retired. Anyone who has a flag that needs to be retired may bring it to the ceremony or deposit it in one of the boxes designated for unusable flags at the following locations: VFW Post 43 in Martinsburg, entrance at the Nicodemus Street parking lot; Murry-Appleman Post 147 American Legion, Roaring Spring; or Ray Camp VFW Post 7689, Roaring Spring. You may also give your unusable flag to a boy scout, a veteran, or a member of the American Legion or VFW.

"On behalf of the Boy Scouts and the VFW Post 43 Auxiliary, I want to thank the community for its support for this very important flag retirement program. Our United States Flag is a living symbol for America, and we should all display it proudly and properly," said Jane Fagans, flag education coordinator for the auxiliary.