Special week pays tribute to U.S. Flag
By SUZETTE PORTER
Article published on Tuesday, June 10, 2008  |
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| According to etiquette, to store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously. |
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PINELLAS COUNTY – Each year since 1949, U.S. presidents have signed proclamations declaring Flag Day to honor the "Stars and Stripes," which has been America's National Symbol since June 14, 1777.
In 1966, congress approved a second resolution that calls for the president to also designate the week in which June 14 occurs as National Flag Day.
This year, Flag Week began June 8 and ends on Flag Day, June 14. Citizens are urged to show their patriotic spirit by displaying the flag throughout the week.
While no formal Flag Day ceremonies may be planned around Pinellas, the city of Indian Rocks Beach, the Clearwater chapter of MOAA and VFW Post 10094 will host the seventh annual Flag Retirement Ceremony at noon Friday, June 13, at Chic A Si Park on Fourth Avenue and Second Street in Indian Rocks Beach.
This annual ceremony allows for the proper disposal of all American flags which have become torn and tattered. Flags may be brought to the ceremony or delivered to Indian Rocks Beach City Hall, 1507 Bay Palm Blvd. or VFW Post 10094, 14288 Walsingham Road, Largo.
Indian Rocks Beach Mayor R.B. Johnson will lead the ceremony. Following a demonstration of how the flags are retired, hot dogs and soft drinks will be served. For more information or to donate flags to be retired, call Bob Swick at 733-2822 or Jack Dell at 596-8959.
Most historians agree that the idea for Flag Day originated on June 14, 1885, when Bernard J. Cigrand, 19, a school teacher at Stony Hill Wisconsin placed a small 38-star flag in a bottle on his desk and gave his students an assignment on the flag and its significance. Cigrand spend several years in his drive to gain national recognition for the flag. Cigrand was age 50 when his drive came to an end and President Woodrow Wilson declared a proclamation in 1916 calling for a nation wide observance of Flag Day.
Flag etiquette is usually one of the lessons taught during the week's observance. Some of the main points of etiquette include:
- When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
- The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.
- When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner, which is what will be done at the local ceremony on June 13.
"The American flag has been our national symbol for 231 years, and it remains a beacon of freedom wherever it is flown," George W. Bush said in his Flag Week proclamation. "Since the Second Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as our flag in 1777, it has stood for freedom, justice, and the resolve of our Nation."
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Article published on Tuesday, June 10, 2008
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