The
Annual Ceremony for the disposal of unserviceable flags will be
held on Wednesday night, October 12th at 7:00 p.m.
Performing
the ceremony along with American Legion Post 177 will be the
Sons of the American Legion, the Fairfax County Police Honor
Guard, Bill Hendricks and his bag pipers, the Boy Scouts
and Girls Scouts, the Sea Scouts, and a bugler to play taps
from one of the local high schools.
The Importance of our Flag
"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 un-honored
and unmarked."
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| 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. |
History of the Ceremony
The Ceremony for Disposal of
Unserviceable Flags was approved through Resolution No.440, by
the National Convention of The American Legion meeting in New
York, New York, September 20-23, 1937, and has been an
integral part of American Legion ritual since that date. The
resolution reads as follows:
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; and
WHEREAS, The approved method of disposing of unserviceable
Flags has long been that they be destroyed by burning, but no
ritual for such destruction or ceremony in connection
therewith has been adopted by The American Legion or included
in its official manual of Ceremonies; therefore be it
RESOLVED, By The American Legion in National Convention
assembled in New York City, September 20-23, 1937, that the
ritual submitted herewith be adopted for use by The American
Legion and that it be made the official ceremony for the
destruction of unserviceable American Flags and to be included
as such in the Manual of Ceremonies, Revised, of The American
Legion.
