The ashes from more than 1,000 tattered American flags are now buried at the Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery in Kanawha County.
Those flags, which came in from across West Virginia, were officially retired during a ceremony and then burned on Memorial Day in Institute.
The ashes from the flags were buried in a designated, marked area.
Honor Guard President and U.S. Marine Reserves Veteran John Hancock says they followed U.S. Flag Code. “As long as you do it in a ceremony with honors and dignity, that’s the proper way to do it,” he said.
The U.S. Flag Code says the following of flag disposal: The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
Hancock says there are times when it’s clear a flag should be retired., “When it’s faded, it starts ripping and just overall, in general, doesn’t look like it’s bright,” he said on Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
Before the flags were burned on Monday, they were inspected to verify they were in poor condition. “Taps” was played during the event.
“It’s very simple for something that important,” Mark McNeary from North Carolina said of the ceremony that he attended with his son.
Monday’s ceremony was a first at the Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery. Officials say similar ceremonies will be held there in the future.