What’s Right With Our Schools: Hixson AFJROTC Flag Disposal

HIXSON, TN (WDEF) – When an American flag becomes tattered beyond repair, there is a proper way to dispose of it. Cadets in Hixson High’s Air Force Junior ROTC program know exactly how.

Doug Burhans is a Master Sergeant with TN 081.

He explains, “There’s a proper way to dispose of all flags that are become unserviceable,  worn, tattered; and that’s what we did today we retired a flag.”

He continues, “There’s a lot of symbolicity when it comes to our United States flag; the blue, the union blue representing our union as a, as a unity. That’s why when they cut the flag, they cut the union square out to symbolize the unity of our nation that it will never be broken. And it’s important to let these young people know, you know, the importance of patriotism and why we should represent our country and ourselves in the most dignified manner as possible.  It’s a true ceremony so it’s important to them to understand the right way to do things and the wrong way to do things. So, it’s important that they do this. In the regulation, in a protocol regulation, you just do it in the most dignified manner, and and we try to get our cadets to run this program; they run this program. They plan it, they do it, and it’s all on them. We try to do one or two of those a year, and we’ll gather flags from around the community and and we’ll dispose of them properly, like we did today.  It gives them pride of ownership and to know that they’ve done something good for the community and their nation.”