Proper disposal of the american flag

[EmailPoster]

What is an appropriate example of destrying a worn american flag by burning it in a dignified manner?...

What is an appropriate example of destrying a worn American Flag by
burning it in a dignified manner?

Please respond to

Thank you,
Mike Scotti

[sarahw]

Mike,

There is no one particular way that flags can be burned. As you mentioned, the flag code only talks about disposing of worn flags in a dignified manner, preferably by burning. The specific steps you take to burn your flag may vary.

Flags may be burned in a camp fire or a barrel. It's advised to have a good fire going with some coals so that bits of the flag don't burn off and fly away. Flags should be burned in serious ceremonies, and usually small ceremonies as well.

If you'd like mroe guidance on how to dispose of a flag, visit the Flag Keepers website. You can also send them your flags to be retired if you don't want to do it yourself and can't find someone locally who will do it for you.

Sarah

[franklinreid]

Sarah,

I'm new to your site and forum and like the idea of having a place to go to for good information. Like so many others here I have a great reverence for our flag and the country it represents.

My comment is about the usual method suggested for disposing of the flag. The most common phrase is "preferably by burning." The trouble with this phrase is it assumes that all people in America and the territories have the ability to do this and to do it legally. It was probably written by someone in the northeast part of the country where virtually all homes have fireplaces. This is also true of those living in northern climes.

Unfortunately, this suggested method ignores all those who live in the warmer parts of the country who have never had a fireplace in the home and all forms of outdoor fireplaces or barbecues have been banned long ago. And what of those millions of people (yes, millions!) who live in apartment buildings which have no such facilities. Should they use a box of matches and try to burn it in the sink, setting off the fire alarm? And what about those in Puerto Rico and other territories?

Also, it assumes a flag of 2-3 feet or larger in size used at schools, libraries, corporate offices and municipal buildings. But what about the smaller flags. We can all buy tiny flags as small as a postage stamp and many others for our desks or tables at meetings which range in size from a few inches to a few feet. Many of these are not even made of cloth but are often paper or plastic.

One Internet site I visited said to burn the flag at a campfire, assuming again that everyone who has a flag to dispose of will or can go camping somewhere. They also suggested burning it in a barrel. This is without checking local fire laws to see if it's legal to burn in a barrel. If you live near a beach and you set a barrel on the wet sand for burning you will likely be sited and fined for it.

What I would like to see is a change in the fundamental instructions for disposing of the flag of all sizes and materials and in all locations of the country, including all states and territories.

My suggestion is to dispose of the flag by cutting it up into pieces. If we cut away the stars from the stripes neither piece is an American flag but simply two pieces of colored material which can be disposed of as normal trash or used as cloth for some other purpose. For the larger flags it could be cut up further into smaller pieces. The PBS show Mystery Detectives recently showed a segment about the flag and showed how in former centuries flags were cut up and pieces given or sold to those who may have a personal interest in that flag, such as the women who sewed it or local museums.

I would re-write the disposal instructions to include this as the "preferable" method and burning as a second method if it's possible and legal in the person's area. Something like:

Flags can be disposed of in several ways, with cutting it up as the prefered method but also by burning or burying. The method for cutting would be to cut the blue field of stars away from the red and white stripes so that neither piece is a flag, and then cutting these into smaller pieces for larger flags, and using the pieces in other ways as colored fabric or simply placed in the trash.

I'm sorry for the long post but I wanted to give my thoughts a full explanation.

Thanks again for this great website.

Franklin Reid

[sarahw]

Franklin,

Perhaps you should contact your local Congressman or other representative and let them know you think the code needs to change!

Burial of flags is allowed, but they need to be placed in a container so they won't be exposed to the elements or unburied easily. Cutting of flags, either before burning or burying, is also acceptable.

If all else fails, you can give your used flags that need to be destroyed to a group that does mass flag retirement, such as the Kitchen Table Gang. They'll be happy to retire your flag if you can't.

Thanks!

Sarah

[franklinreid]

Sarah, thanks for your reply and also for the tip about contacting my congressman or woman.

Franklin

[sarahw]

You're welcome. Keep us posted.

Sarah