“So we raise her up every morning,

Take her down every night.

We don’t let her touch the ground

And we fold her up right.

On second thought I DO like to brag,

’Cause I’m mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag.”

Those words sung by Johnny Cash carried across the air Thursday morning as veterans and members of the Overmountain Cadet Corps gathered to pay tribute as they retired several American Flags at the American Legion Post 49 in Elizabethton.

June 14 is designated in the United States as Flag Day, a day to honor the American Flag, which was officially adopted as the flag of the new nation on June 14, 1777, by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress.

Flag Day also traditionally serves as a day for retiring American Flags which have become worn or tattered. Just as there are guidelines on the proper display and folding of the U.S. Flag, there are rules that define the appropriate ways to dispose of flags which have become worn, damaged, or tattered.

On Thursday, members of the American Legion Post 49 and the Overmountain Cadet Corps had around 3,000 flags to retire. Post Commander Rick Walters said the majority of those flags were collected through a special drop box the American Legion Post set up adjacent to the Veterans Memorial and Veterans Walk of Honor in downtown Elizabethton.

“There are a lot of patriotic people in Carter County that want to make sure these flags are disposed of properly,” Walters said.

The American Legion Post hosts a special flag retirement ceremony each year on Flag Day to dispose of damaged and worn flags.

“Used to, it wasn’t as many as this,” Walters said as he surveyed the collection of flags inside the Post headquarters.

Since installing the drop box for flags, Walters said the Post has collected nearly 3,000 flags for disposal.

“Flags have been piled up on top of it before,” Walters said. “We might need to get a bigger box.”

There are a few different methods that are considered proper disposal for an American Flag, the most popular being a ceremonial flag burning.

The event held at the American Legion Post on Thursday was a ceremonial burning.

The ceremony was opened with a prayer by the Post Chaplain. After the prayer, those in attendance placed their hands over their hearts and faced the American Flag flying on the Post’s flagpole as the National Anthem played. The sounds of Taps echoed through the air after the National Anthem concluded.

Following Taps, Post members and Cadet Corps members conducted the solemn duty of retiring the flags into the fire.

Proper flag disposal is just one of the services the Post provides to the community, according to Walters. The Post is also home to the Carter County Honor Guard, which provides military honors at funeral services for area veterans. Walters said the Post is currently recruiting veterans to serve in the Honor Guard.

For more information on the American Legion Post 49 or to inquire about joining the Honor Guard, contact the Post at (423) 534-4241.