With Honor and Dignity
9/11 Flag Regirement Ceremony Held
Charles Romans
The Ashland Beacon
The Stars and Stripes … Old Glory … the flag of the United States … no matter how you refer to our great nations flag one thing stands true and that is that the American flag has stood the test of time and has flown proudly as a symbol of enduring freedom for over two centuries. It has flown over government installations across the world, at Federal and Local government buildings, cemeteries, and it has waved above the homes of patriotic Americans. It is an icon; a precious symbol of what America represents to those who live beneath its flowing promise. It represents both freedom and the price paid to ensure that freedom remains intact.
Yes, physically the flag is merely cloth and colors that have been sewn and dyed; just like many other things it has been fashioned by machine or human hands, patterned into various shapes and sizes over the years. The American flag has evolved as enduring things do from the flag of the original thirteen colonies to the current iteration which represents the fifty states that make up the United States. Once the materials and colors are combined – whether in cloth or even painted upon a structure – it becomes a unique entity that echoes the souls of all those who have lived beneath it from the moment the original flag was first unfurled. It is for this reason (among many more) that the flag of the United States of America is worthy of our respect, not for the thing itself but what it represents.
While the meaning of what the flag represents is everlasting; the materials from which it is made are not. With its fabric tattered by the elements and its edges frayed, the physical flag fades over time, when this happens the physical representation of the flag must be replaced, much like an older generation giving way to a younger generation to continue a legacy. But when an old flag is taken down and its fabric and colors no longer wave as a promise over America, it must be done so with the honor we would give to a cherished loved one who has passed from our lives. Its dignity is our own, and with all due ceremony we must bid it farewell.
On Sept. 11, the American Legion Post 325 in Flatwoods, Kentucky held a ceremony to retire American Flags properly. Some flags had been flown over the Legion Post, others had been given into the posts care from around the area for proper disposal, and some had at one point flown in locations from around the country and the world.
Those present for the ceremony included Post Commander Kirby Mabrey, Mike Bramlett, Kevin Thomas, Corey Thomas, Eric Zachem, and Mike Wurts. The national anthem was sung by Mandy Botkins, and poetry was read by Stacey Clark. Boy Scout Troop 165 of Flatwoods and Boy Scout Troop 168 of Raceland, Kentucky assisted in the ceremony of properly retiring American Flags.
