Many Americans proudly fly the U.S. flag at their homes and places of work, but what do you do with it when it’s old and ratty and you’re ready for a new one?
Don’t just throw it in the trash like any other old item — that’s considered disrespectful.
The Sleepy Eye Servicemen’s Club now has a Unitied State Flag Retirement Dropbox. The new box is designed for people to place their tattered flags in for proper military disposal.
Rules on how to properly fly the flag were established in June 1923, when the National Flag Conference met in Washington. Its members created the Flag Code, which states that “the flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.”
The American Legion passed a resolution about flag retirement ceremonies in 1937. According to the resolution, “The approved method of disposing of unserviceable flags has long been that they be destroyed by burning.”
The U.S. flag is considered such a sacred symbol that burning it in an undignified manner constitutes desecration. The flag must be burned in a specific manner at a ceremony.
Sleepy Eye will work with New Ulm to assure all flags deposited in their box will be disposed of with the proper etiquette.