Meet Ed Shevlin - a sanitation worker in New York City. Mr. Shevlin has found a unique way to honor the American Flag - by burning hundreds of them... How is that honoring the American flag you might ask? Because Mr. Shevlin has rescued more than 700 worn out flags from trash bins in New York City. He'll be dropping them off at a veterans post for proper retirement by burning. You can read the entire news article here. Mr. Shevlin, we salute you!
The fact that Mr. Shevlin was able to collect so many discarded flags tells us something interesting about Americans' knowledge of flag etiquette. Many Americans don't realize that burning is actually the correct way to retire an American flag. We see so many images on television of people in other countries who hate America, burning the American flag, that this comes as something of a surprise to some. However, it must be done in a dignified manner. We think it's nice to gently place the flag in a fire and recite the Pledge of Allegiance while it burns.
But most Americans don't have the time or inclination, or even a proper place to burn their flags when they are worn out. Fortunately, you can drop your flag off at these organizations and they'll properly dispose of your flag. (Source: Wikipedia.org)
The Veterans of Foreign Wars,
American Legion,
Boy Scouts of America,
Girl Scouts of the USA
At the time of this writing, it's early spring, 2014. And we're just about to enter, what we like to call, "Flag Season". Make sure your American flag looks great and is ready feel the love.
