Warwick veterans to honor worn American flags in Flag Day ceremony

Warwick veterans gave worn American flags a final, dignified tribute at a Flag Day ceremony at the American Legion Building on Forester Avenue, next to Veterans Memorial Park. About a dozen faded or frayed flags were burned during the 30-minute observance, while 2,000 more were set aside to be honored and retired later.

The ceremony took place June 14 at 3 p.m. at 71 Forester Avenue, where Tony Cosimano, commander of Nicholas P. Lesando, Jr. American Legion Post 214, served as master of ceremonies. Veterans from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam era and more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan took part, underscoring the way the ritual links generations of service in Orange County and beyond.

The event carried both symbolic and practical weight. Under the U.S. Flag Code, a flag that is no longer a fitting emblem for display should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. The American Legion says its unserviceable-flags ceremony was adopted to encourage respect for the flag and proper disposal of flags that can no longer be displayed.

For Warwick residents, the ceremony also offered a clear civic reminder about what to do with old flags at home. Faded or torn American flags can be placed in the flag box in front of the Legion building on Forester Avenue for proper disposal, a small but visible service that keeps damaged flags out of the trash and returns them to a formal retirement process.

Flag Day itself marks the June 14, 1777 adoption of the U.S. flag by the Continental Congress. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed a national Flag Day in 1916, and Congress later made it a permanent national observance in 1949. Post 214, organized in New York in 1935, has long been part of that tradition, and its monthly meetings are held on the second Wednesday at 7 p.m. at 71 Forester Avenue.