Mercer County Goverment: Annual Flag Retirement Ceremony Postponed To June 23

Press release from the Mercer County Government:

06/22/2021 9:31 AM

TRENTON—Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes and the Mercer County Office of Veteran Services invite the public to an official flag decommissioning ceremony on Wednesday, June 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Veterans Park (Klockner Road entrance) in Hamilton Township. The event had been scheduled for June 21 but was postponed due to forecasted rain.

Each year, the Mercer County Office of Veteran Services partners with American Legion Post 31 and the Hamilton Township Patriotic Committee to hold the time-honored decommissioning, also known as “flag retirement.” American flags that have become tattered, soiled or are otherwise no longer fit for display will be burned in a dignified manner in a large pit during the ceremony and the flames will be doused by the Hamilton Township Fire Division.

Veteran Services has collected thousands of flags eligible for retirement from American Legion Post 31, private homes, the veterans section of Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton and government offices. And because last year’s ceremony was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Veteran Services has more flags to retire this year than usual.

“The flag of the United States symbolizes the values we hold dear and seek to defend, such as liberty, equality, opportunity, democracy and inclusion,” Mr. Hughes said. “It deserves a special sendoff, and on June 21 we will demonstrate a proper way to retire an American flag.”

American flags are retired during Mercer County's decommissioning ceremony in 2019.

This press release was produced by the Mercer County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.