An Honor Guard member places the worn American flag into the flames in 2015.
INSTITUTE, W.Va. –The Donel C. Kinnard Honor Guard Association is set for its annual flag retirement ceremony on Memorial Day.
Officials collect old, tethered and worn flags all year from the public and local VFWs to give them a proper send-off.
“We will mention the flags, say what we are doing and why we are doing it. Then we’ll play Taps and retire the flags,” Don Ryan, president of the Donel C. Kinnard Honor Guard told MetroNews.
The ceremony begins at noon at the cemetery in Institute on May 31.
Between 200 and 300 flags are normally burned during the ceremony.
“We have burn barrels out there. It’s one of the proper ways to do away with an American flag. Burn it or bury it,” Ryan said.