MERIDIAN, Idaho — Red, white, and blue; three colors that symbolize our American flag.
"We lived by that flag," American Legion Post 113’s 2nd Vice Commander, Richard Dees said, "It was the flag we fought for. It was the flag we represented when we were in the military."
Sometimes these flags can get torn, damaged or worn out.
"We want to avoid people putting flags in the landfill. We want to dispose of the flags properly, according to the US flag code,” Dees said.
To do that, the American Legion Post 113 and the City of Meridian partnered together to help residents retire their flags.
"Bring them to one of these disposal boxes either here at the Meridian Fire Station or around the city,” Dees said. "Just put the flags in the disposable boxes and that's all you have to do. We take care of the rest."
The flag disposals are not new to the City of Meridian; there are about eight placed all around the city.
"Commander Matt Robel came up with a flag disposal program," Dees said. "Well, time went on and the thing grew. We grew to where we were collecting up to 10,000 flags a year, which is a lot of flags."
To help meet the demand, the American Legion Post 113 was given the City of Meridian’s Hometown Grant to help purchase the two new disposal boxes.
"Here in Meridian, our residents proudly display the American flag regularly," Meridian’s Communications Manager Stephany Galbreaith said, "and we definitely saw a need for proper disposal of the flags that are soiled or damaged, so there was a great collaboration with the American legion."
The grant also helped fund two new burners, which are used for the ceremony to dispose of flags.
"It's a ceremony where we have the pledge of allegiance; we'll say a prayer, several people will grab the flag and fold it ceremoniously and place it in flames,” Dees said.
It’s a tradition that’s been done for many years.
"It's like a cremation. To us, the American Flag is kind of like a real person and we want to treat it as such,” Dees said.
That isn't the end of the flag’s life, however. Some of the flag’s pieces are recycled.
"These brass grommets are recycled as well. We collect them and put them in brass ingots and take those ingots and make them into bells,” Dees said. "Another thing we do with the ashes of the flag is collect them and some are spread on top of the graves of the veteran's cemetery."
The City of Meridian hopes families use this opportunity to spread awareness.
"This is also a great opportunity for families to come together and educate their kids and children on how to safely and respectfully dispose of flags,” Galbreaith said.
You can start taking your flags to Meridian Fire Stations 1 and 5. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held this Friday morning from 9 to 10 at Station 1.
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