American Legion gives American flags proper retirement

A glorious fall morning was the perfect time to give Old Glory a proper send-off.

Nearly 2,000 flags collected by the George Simmons Jr. American Legion Post 3 were retired Saturday in a ceremony at the Alexandria post.

"We get them from all over Cenla," said Harold Teal, adjutant of the post. The area high schools send them their flags so they can be retired properly. During the time of Hurricane Katrina, Teal said the National Guard brought mildewed flags to the post. The flags were stored in a warehouse in New Orleans that got wet.

The post and the local Boy Scouts of America are the only organizations in Central Louisiana that conduct ceremonies to retire unserviceable flags through incineration.

"It's in our regulations on how to do it," Teal said.

"I'll inspect one unserviceable flag and report to the commander and he'll authorize me to dispose of it."

The others are then placed in the fire and incinerated. With 2,000 flags the process takes a few hours.

The post holds two retirement ceremonies a year. One in the spring and one in the fall.

"We're about the only organization that does this on a semi-annual basis," Teal said.

An old mailbox sits in front of the post headquarters located on Bayou Rapides where unserviceable flags can be deposited.

Master Sgt. Ronald Wesley brought four of his Bolton High School Air Force ROTC cadets — Dayjanaye Chapman, Laiken Vollm, Gwenjerlyn Hall and Cordezha Payne — to help post members during the ceremony.

"It's community service," Wesley said. "We support different veterans' organizations in the community and they support us, too."

Maybell Vogel, who will turn 88 next month, came from Denham Springs to watch the ceremony. "I always heard about it but never see it," she said. "It's very, very impressive."

She has retired unserviceable flags on her own.

"But I've never been around a ceremony like this and I'm so happy my daughter told me about it. Not too many people know about this."