Wallkill VFW offers Flag Day Ceremony and Flag Retirement
| 17 Jun 2015 | 12:21
Post Commander Jim Davis places one last flag into the container.
Post Commander Jim Davis stands as attention as the fire grows.
Flags await cremation in the donated container.
Wallkill Valley VFW Memorial Post 8441 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander Jim Davis fires three ceremonial rounds as the fire engulfs more than 50 cubic feet of retired flags.
VERNON — In honor of Flag Day last Sunday, the Wallkill Valley VFW Memorial Post 8441 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars offered area residents and businesses the opportunity to properly and respectfully retire worn, faded and otherwise damaged American flags.
About three dozen people attended, as did members of the Vernon Township Fire Department, who ensured that the resulting fire was safely managed. R.J. Phillips Steel donated the metal grid for the bottom of the enclosure and EarthCare Septic Service donated the actual container and blocks for the base.
Tom Gundlach of Vernon arranged for the remote ignition of the flags. Beverages, hotdogs, and dessert were available to the guests at no charge.
— Photos by Chris Wyman