Retiring Old Glory
Photo by Nick Ianniello John Cochran (left) lowers an old tattered flag into the flames as Ellen Matz watches and Ernie Ornelas reads a prayer. The St. Regis American Legion puts on a flag retiring ceremony at Mullan Square in St. Regis every year to discard of worn out flags.
A pillar of smoke rose up from Mullan Square in St. Regis Saturday evening to commemorate the service of several American flags.
“It’s about respect and honor,” said American Legion Commander and Army Master Sgt. Earl Eisenbacher.
Eisenbacher, along with American Legion Sgt. Of Arms and Marine Corps Staff Sgt. John Cochran, American Legion Adjutant and Air Force Col. Ellen Matz and American Legion Chaplain and Navy Cmdr. Ernie Ornelas gathered in St. Regis to retire 12 American flags.
The four held a ceremony paying respect to each of the flags. Then they were placed into a fire burning in a metal barrel as the American Legion bid farewell to each flag.
Ornelas said that while the ceremony of burning the flag to retire it may seem strange, it is done to pay a final respect to the flag. He said that the flag burning is not done as any form of protest.
“It’s just done with a little respect. That’s the whole reason we do it here rather than just putting it out in the back yard and burning it with the trash pile,” said Eisenbacher.
As each of the flags was burned, Ornelas said a prayer and the other members of the American legion stood at attention.
Only two spectators came to watch the disposal of the flags, but Eisenbacher said that it is hard to get people to come out and watch something like this on a sunny summer weekend.
Eisenbacher said that each of the flags were brought to the American Legion by people around Mineral County who knew about the ceremony, which is held every Flag Day at Mullan Square.
The ceremony has been taking place in Mullan Square for over 10 years, and the American Legion uses Flag Day as an opportunity to pay their respects to the flags that have flown over Mineral County.
The last of the flags burned Saturday was a special one because it used to fly over Mullan Square, and it would now be retired in that same place.
Eisenbacher said that the flags that are retired are too torn, worn, shattered, faded, frayed or unserviceable for use, and the ceremony that they perform is given to them from the National American Legion.
Eisenbacher said that this was the highest number of flags ever retired in the American Legion ceremony in Mineral County, and the increase in flags means that this is obviously a valuable service for the county.