LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — It's a day that honors Old Glory's 50 stars and 13 stripes, and American Legion members in Luzerne County are reminding people to properly dispose of tattered flags.
A holiday that Carmen Pitarra, the Commander of American Legion Post 558 in Plains, said brings all Americans together under three distinct colors: red, white, and blue.
"It's a day to memorialize both the adoption of the flag that the country has consecrated," added Pitarra. "And the proper disposal and memorial service for flags that have to be destroyed."
June 14 marks the 247th Flag Day, and while you can find the stars and stripes on many porches or front lawns, Pitarra said hundreds of flags are also ready for retirement after years of service.
"At any point in time that your flag is beyond useful use in terms of being tethered, tears, worn out, anything of that nature, you need to properly dispose of that flag," said Pitarra.
According to the Department of Defense, the approved method for disposing of unserviceable flags is by burning them during a proper ceremony.
The kind that Pitarra and other members of his legion are trained to do.
"You are retiring flags that are no longer able to be used," said Pitarra. "Whether it's hanging on your house, a flag pole at a school, and, we take care of the ceremony of retiring that flag."
So, this flag day, if you see a tattered Star Spangled banner, Pitarra says instead of putting it in the trash, look for a drop box so that it can be retired and a new one can wave in its place.