INSTITUTE, W.Va. — On a day of remembrance, members of the community gathered together at the Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery in Institute to discard old and worn American flags, state flags and military branch flags Monday.
The cemetery’s Honor Guard Association held a flag retirement ceremony on Memorial Day. They disposed over 200 flags by burning them in the most dignified and patriotic manner possible.
Eric Wood, a member of the Honor Guard, said anyone could discard their old flags, but many people did so to remember a loved one.
“Healing may be part of it, but if you’ve lost a loved on in a war this is a way of remembering them and hopefully as years go past the hurt will subside, but it never goes away,” said Wood.
During the ceremony, people handed their flags over to an Honor Guard member who then placed them one by one into the flame. The member then saluted to each individual flag.
Wood said Memorial Day is a special day to remember those who’ve fallen, so the ceremony did just that.
“It is a remembrance of what the flags means and how it has been honored,” he said.
Wood made it clear that their job was to show as much respect to the flag as possible.
“We are not protesting. We are disposing of the United States flag in a proper, dignified ceremony.”
In the past, Wood said Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Patriot Guard and others have come by to discard flags as well.
The flags were retired until 2 p.m. Monday.