NAHANT — The American Legion will hold its Flag Retirement Ceremony at Nahant Life Saving Station at Short Beach at 6 p.m. Friday.
Residents are invited to drop off their own unserviceable flags to properly dispose of them. Parking will be available at the Nahant Life Saving Station for the participants of the service.
“The ceremony will be performed, and then we will retire one symbolic flag, and then individuals are invited to retire their own flags,” said Bob Fields, commander of the Nahant American Legion.
The ceremony is usually performed on Flag Day (June 14), but because that date falls on a Tuesday this year, the legion decided to have the ceremony Friday, so that more people could participate, said Fields.
“The U.S. flag is the symbol of our nation,” he said.
The use of the U.S. flag is codified in the national law, and it is not a flag burning ceremony, but a Flag Retirement Ceremony, “because burning is prescribed as a part of the ceremony by law,” said Fields.
Nahant residents usually bring around 100 flags for the event. Fields said it was not too much for a town like Nahant with over 3,000 houses. The commander urged the residents of Nahant to bring their worn and tattered flags to dispose of them properly.
“I still see flags in the trash, and it’s very stressful,” said Fields.
He said that the American Legion was trying to get people to recognize the importance of the national flag.
“It’s important for the people to remember the significance of our flag, as a symbol of freedom and opportunity. It’s not something to be taken lightly,” said Fields.
For more information, please contact Comdr. Bob Fields, who will conduct the ceremony, at (781)-269-2995.
Oksana Kotkina can be reached at [email protected].
