Concord Hosts Veterans Day Ceremony And Flag Retirement

CONCORD, MA — For thousands across the country and in town, Monday is more than a day off from work but a day to honor those who served and continue to serve our country. To honor those service men and women in Concord, the town is hosting it's annual Veterans Day Ceremony.

The Concord Public Ceremonies and Celebrations Committee is hosting the annual Veteran’s Day Commemoration and Flag Retirement Ceremony. The event will start at 8 a.m. on Monday at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

The small parade will assemble at Prichard Gate of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery on Bedford Street. The procession will march to the flagpole for a flag-raising ceremony and then proceed to the place where the worn flags will be retired. Honored Veterans and citizens are invited to attend and are encouraged to participate in the ceremony.

The Flag Retirement Ceremony is a Concord Veteran’s Day tradition that enables Concordians the opportunity to retire their American Flags in a respectful and appropriate manner. This local ceremony was established in 1965 by James Carroll, Francis McDonald, Bernard Rushe, Thomas Tombeno, and Clark McClevin, who felt that the many cemetery flags, which were torn and faded from being left in place through the fall and winter months, honored neither our nation’s colors nor our departed veterans. It was decided that each year, on Veteran’s Day, the worn flags would be collected by the Public Ceremonies and Celebrations Committee and retired in an appropriate manner.

Are you a veteran or know someone special you're honoring on Monday? Share your story with Patch along with a photo and we'll feature it as part of a Veterans Day story. Email photos and tell us your story at samantha.mercado@patch.com. (Only send photos you took or have the rights to use.)