The Salem Elks Lodge retired nearly 300 flags during a Flag Day Program on Saturday.
Each year the Salem Elks gather flags from throughout the community that have become torn and tattered.
Mike Hooe of the Elks noted how flags were a symbol of our national strength and unity as well as a banner of hope and freedom.
“The flag reminds us of our obligation to protect the American way of life, and stimulate pride in our heritage with enthusiasm to preserve it. The responsibility of every true American is to personally understand and maintain the American way of life. To honor it by his or her exemplary concept and to pass it in tact to succeeding generations.”
And Hooe says there is a special procedure when a flag has to be taken out of service.
“With the service of tribute, memory, and love to our faded and worn American flags. We honorably retire them with dignity and respect. It is to this end we submit our service worn flags for proper and dignified disposal.”
Members of the Trail Life organization properly folded each flag and then unfurled it as they moved it to a burn barrel set up to dispose it. There were 283 US flags, three Illinois flags, five POW flags, four Christian
flags, and one large interstate flag that were properly disposed of in Saturday’s program.
The winner of an Elks Legacy Scholarship Award, Olivia Shuler, assisted in the program.
