Flag Day ceremony held in Thompson Falls

During a solemn ceremony on a windy day in Thompson Falls, American Legion Post Commander Steve Roque honored the American flag.  

Roque, accompanied by members from Post 52 and the Charlo Post 0125 retired 152 flags which included three POW and two Montana flags. 

Post Commander Steve Roque preformed the long-standing ceremony of retiring flags that have served their usefulness in Sanders County. Throughout the year, the American Legion collects flags for the Flag Day retirement ceremony. Community members can donate torn and tattered flags to the American Legion and the VFW in Plains.

American Legion Post 52 is part of a national organization that contributes to many local community programs throughout Sanders County. 

Flag Day is a special day for Sanders County veterans. It is a holiday that is always celebrated on June14. It commemorates the adoption of the American Flag on June 14, 1777, by resolution of the second Continental Congress. The resolution stated, “That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”  

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation that designated June 14 as Flag Day. 

The first observance of Flag Day is popularly credited to George Morris, of Hartford, Connecticut. The city of Hartford observed the day in 1861, praying for the success of the Federal arms and preservation of the Union. The observance, at that time, never became a tradition.

American Legion Post Commander Steve Roque at a flag retirement ceremony. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
Tracy Scott