Local veterans celebrate flag day
Ooltewah, Tenn. (WDEF) — Veterans celebrated flag day at Ooltewah Walmart by fundraising for new flags at Collegedale Veterans Memorial Park.
Flag day is celebrated every year on June 14. The holiday honors the American flag and commemorates the adoption of it back in 1777.
“Now if you were to ask me what the flag means to me and how important it is … when we lose, have lost fellow members, that’s the final thing that we lay on their casket,” previous Post Commander Jason Cobb said.
The American Legion Post 257 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1697 raised funds for flags at the Collegedale Veterans Memorial Park.
“We respect it. And we do our very best to show people how to retire a flag properly,” American Legion Post 257 Commander Dennis Smith said. There was a ceremony held at 6 p.m. at Collegedale Veterans Memorial Park for the retirement of flags from the local area.
The event aimed to foster patriotism in the community and provide resources about how to get involved with the organizations.
“… It’s not just a piece of cloth. It’s a symbol of our nation, our country, and what it stands for… Freedom,” American Legion Post 257 Vice Commander Richard Eberly said.
