Flight starts flag-disposal program

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Gino Mattorano
  • 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPN) --  The 21st Civil Engineer Squadron's fire protection flight here burned 50 U.S. flags recently. It was not done in protest but to pay homage.

The flight's color guard conducted its first ceremony to give unserviceable U.S. flags a proper disposal.

"We had been asked on several occasions about proper disposal of worn-out flags, so after researching the subject, we decided to ask our color guard to conduct a flag-disposal ceremony," said Cindy Litteral, deputy fire chief.

The firefighters discovered there are specific rules to disposing of an American flag.

"Before a flag can be burned, it must first be cut into separate pieces," said Litteral. "The field of blue must first be cut from the stripes. Then, the stripes must be cut into strips."

To properly burn the flag, fire protection flight workers purchased a small incinerator. According to Litteral, during the ceremony, the stripes are burned first, and then the field of blue. The ashes are buried.

Once Litteral had assembled all the elements of the flag disposal ceremony, the flight advertised the service to the base. They received more than 50 flags needing disposal.

A significant aspect of the ceremony involves choosing a flag from those to be burned, and making the story behind that flag part of the ceremony.

"A young lady called me and told me she had a flag that had been given to her family by her grandfather 12 years earlier," said Litteral. "It had hung in front of their family's house every day since Sept. 11, 2001, and was finally in need of replacement. We told her story to show honor to the flag and to her family."

The first ceremony was such a success that the fire protection flight has decided to conduct flag-disposal ceremonies quarterly. (Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service)