A proper send-off for American flags
Nova High Navy JROTC students fold unserviceable banners
Students from the Nova High School spent their Sunday folding more than 100 American flags for proper disposal.
Recently, the Nova Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps went to the Cooper City American Legion Memorial Post No. 321 to fold tattered and unserviceable American flags that had been collected.
About a dozen of the Nova Navy ROTC cadets participated.
“Our cadets folded approximately 125 flags that afternoon,” Post Adjunct Arthur Barber said.
“At one time, we would give them to the Boy Scouts for their retirement ceremony around Flag Day in June. These days, the Scouts can only take the cotton or canvas ones.”
Barber said the material restriction is because nylon and other materials give off toxic fumes when burned, so it has to be done in a controlled environment.
The flags will be stored until the ceremonial disposal.
Earlier this year, Broward County began its own flag disposal program.
The flag disposal program “offers our residents a convenient and respectful way to dispose of their flags when they are no longer a fitting emblem of display,” Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca said in a statement after the program’s launch. “It is important to dispose of or retire a U.S. flag in a dignified manner.”
Through a partnership between the National Association of Counties, the National Flag Foundation and the National Sheriff’s Association, County Commissioners also created provides flag retirement drop boxes at eight county locations, and four parks.
ebloch@sun-sentinel .com