Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
High school students, community leaders honor the country
A Kimball resident and a veteran of the Korean War, Bud Klaassen, led Saturday’s ceremony, and was assisted by several other local veterans, members of the Civil Air Patrol and the local fire department.
Dozens upon dozens of cloth and synthetic United States flags were disposed of Saturday morning in a ceremony hosted by the VFW.
Dozens of Kimball residents, including high school students, Kimball High School leadership, fire department members, U.S. veterans and current members of the Civil Air Patrol were all in attendance at a flag disposal ceremony last Saturday at Kimball Cemetery.
With four barrels lined in front of where members of the American Legion stood, the ceremony began, with Bud Klaassen leading the event by welcoming everyone to the ceremony. The look on his face made it plain to see that he was excited about the size of the crowd that had gathered in the early hours of the morning to honor the nation.
With clear skies, and grass that had finally begun to gain some color in recent days, the ceremony began with an exchange between Sergeant-at-Arms Jim Merryfield, who is home on leave from Afghanistan, and Ron Proctor, a United States Navy veteran.
“This flag has served its nation well and long. It has worn to a condition in which it should no longer be used to represent the nation.”
The honor and tradition that emantes throughout the ceremony is something that has slipped from the modern culture, but offers something that can best be summarized in the following words:
“A flag may be a slimsy bit of printed gauze, or a beautiful banner of finest silk,” said Klaassen. “Its intrinsic value may be trifling or great but its real value is beyond price, for it is a precious symbol of all that we and our comrades have worked for and lived for, and died for a free nation of free men, true to the faith of the past, devoted to the ideals and practice of justice, freedom and democracy.”
Standing at attention or with hands over their hearts, the large group filled the emptiness of the cemetery with the Pledge of Allegiance, in honor of the country, the flag and those who have given their lives to defend the nation.
Several students from the Kimball High School civics class were in attendance, and several students took part in the ceremony itself, working with members of the Civil Air Patrol to prepare the flags for retirement.
The Ceremony for Unserviceable Flags is outlined in Resolution No. 440, which was passed by the 19th National Convention of The American Legion in New York in September 1937.
The official stated purpose of the ceremony, according to the American Legion, is as follows:
“(The ceremony) was to encourage proper respect for the flag of the United States and to provide for disposal of unserviceableflags in a dignified manner.”
The American Legion goes on to describe the Ceremony for Unserviceable Flags is “a dignified tribute to the U.S. flag and to its symbolism.”
The American Legion will be hosting a Memorial Service on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m. at Kimball Cemetery.
