WAIPAHU, Hawaii -- American flags are displayed in many various ways throughout the United States and the world. The national ensign, as it is also referred to, can be seen flying from vehicles; flagpoles at privately owned homes, corporate and government office buildings; and from flagpoles aboard military bases, daily.
Although Americans display their patriotism by flying “Old Glory,” according to members of local Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, many are unaware of the correct way to dispose of the flag once it has become tattered, faded or deemed unserviceable.
On Oahu, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars posts serve as a convenient solution to properly retiring the American flag. Nearly every month, members of local posts hold a ceremonial flag burning of “the colors” that have been donated by members of the community who deemed their flags undisplayable.
The American flag is not the only flag that can be donated to the posts for proper destruction. State flags, Prisoner of War flags, and nearly any other flag that is flown in honor of their country or state can be justifiably burned in the honorable fashion.
There are more than two-dozen VFW posts on the island of Oahu alone. The closest to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, are the Christensen-Whiteman Post 3824 and Windward Post 10154, both of which are located in Kaneohe.
The proper means of retiring the flag is a ceremonial burning during which the flag is displayed, the Pledge of Allegiance is recited, the flag is burned in a dignified manner and its ashes are then buried.
According to Gil Alejo, a veteran of the Korean War and member of VFW Post 1572, in Waipahu, the post members perform the ceremony every three months — when enough flags have been gathered from the local community.
“Not enough people know we perform the ceremony,” said Alejo. “But we do get a lot of flags each month, so we burn them honorably, out of respect for what our nation stands for.”