U.S. flags retired with dignity
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By Jacob Hamm
ARCOLA— The Raggedy Ann festival was not the only noteworthy event in Arcola on Saturday. Immediately after the parade, the Arcola Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion hosted a flag retirement ceremony at the Arcola Community Center.
According to Bob Dowler, commander of the American Legion, who previously served in the United States Army, 54 flags were retired at the ceremony. The flags were given by community members and military veterans whose flags have been torn or tattered due to the weather or other elements.
The ceremony took place at around 1:30 p.m. with about 10 people in attendance. Dowler led the ceremony, along with Bob Gilian, who is with the Arcola VFW and a Navy veteran, assisting in the reading of which stripe represents on the flag.
As the leaders take turns reading what each stripe symbolizes, with the leader receiving the white stripes, and the second participant receiving the red stripes, the flag is lowered more into the fire. After all 13 stripes are read by the leader(s), the Pledge of Allegiance is read facing a flag in use and the rest of the ceremony begins.
Each flag is placed into the fire one at a time and saluted by those who place the flag into the fire. The ceremony was the fifth one that has been held in Arcola.