Flag Retiring Ceremony

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The Flag Burning Ceremony

The Flag of the United States Of America has Thirteen Stripes, Seven Red and Six White and Fifty White Stars on a Blue Field, five rows of six and four rows of five. The Stripes remind us of the Thirteen Original Colonies that gained us our Liberty and Freedom. The Stars represent the Fifty States that are now bound together into one Country.

The Flag is more however than the Stars and Stripes and the clothe of which it is made. It is the Living Symbol of our America. It stands for the Past and the Present and the Future of our Country. It stands for our people , our land and our way of life. It stands for the men and the women who built America. It stands for the pilgrims who set out to find a place to worship their God in their own way. . . . of pioneers who hewed their homes out of wilderness. . . . of George Washington who fought for a new nation. . . . of Abraham Lincoln who held that nation together . . . . of men and women who fought and died for their country. It’s Stripes, tell of the Thirteen Colonies who helped to gain our freedom and its Stars, tell of the more than 200 million people of fifty states who are working and fighting to keep that freedom for themselves and the generations to come.

Tonight ( Today ) we have before us the symbol of our country "Old Glory ". This Flag has been raised and lowered many times in its past. It has flown before uncounted numbers of Americans who share its meaning of Liberty and Freedom. It has been witness to Pledges of Allegiance from people of all ages, races and creeds, all believing that this country is One Nation Under God, Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for ALL.

When a Flag is new it is flown proudly as it represents a living country and is worthy of your full respect.

When a Flag is old and torn it is disposed of in a dignified way. And so it is tonight (today ) that this (these) Flag(s) will be retired in a dignified way. Let us stand and say for one last time the Pledge of Allegiance to this ( these) Flag (s) ! ! !

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