Lake Lure Flag Day - Flag Retirement Ceremony Overview

The Town of Lake Lure held a Flag Retirement Ceremony on June 14, 2024 at 6:30 PM in Morse Park.  Mayor Carol Pritchett welcomed everyone and thanked them for their attendance. She shared the following remarks.

We are drawn here together to pay our last respects to this symbol of our great nation, "America", the land of the free and the home of the brave. The US Flag Code reads; "The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning." The guidance is “When the national flag is worn beyond repair, burn it thoroughly and completely on a modest, but blazing fire. This should be done in a simple manner with dignity and respect. Be sure the flag is reduced to ashes unrecognizable as a former flag.

Mayor Prichett introduced Lake Lure Police Officer Tyler Dills and he Posted the Colors.

Pastor Kevin Anderson, US Navy Chaplin (Ret.) from the Fairfield Mountains Chapel gave the invocation. 

Mr. Ed Dittmer, Captain, US Navy (Ret.) led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Mr. Al Spitzer, US Army Reserve, recited a poignant Flag Tribute titled "Voice of the Flag."

I am your Flag. I was born on June 14, 1777.

I am more than just a piece of cloth shaped into a colorful design, I am the silent sentinel of freedom for the greatest sovereign nation on earth.

I am the inspiration for which American patriots gave their lives and fortunes, I am the emblem of America.

I have led your sons into battle from Valley Forge to Vietnam and beyond.

I have been there though the Civil War, Two World wars, at Gettysburg, Flanders, Korea, the Gulf War, all of them.

I was there with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and I here with you now.

I have flown through Peace and War.

Through strife and Prosperity, and amidst it all, I have always been respected.

My red stripes symbolize the blood spilled in defense of this glorious nation.

My white stripes, the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons in battle.

My blue field represents God's Heaven under which I fly, and my stars, clustered together, unify the fifty states as one for God and Country.

I am "Old Glory" and I proudly wave on high.

Honor me, respect me, and defend me with your lives.

Never let our enemies tear me down from my lofty position, lest I never return.

Keep alight the fires of patriotism, strive earnestly for the spirit of democracy, and keep me always as a symbol of freedom, liberty, and peace in our country.

When comes the time when I am old and faded, do not let me fly in disrepair, rather retire me from my duties only to replace me with a new flag so that I may continue to symbolize our country.

Mayor Pritchett introduced Scout Master Andrew Hein and his Troop to lead our Flag Retirement.

Scout Master Andrew Hein and his Boy Scout Troop 605 led the Flag Retirement with the following remarks.

"In keeping with the law of our land, we present these United States Flags, the symbol of our great nation, which have served their useful life as a symbol of freedom and our country, for retirement." 

Mayor Carol Pritchett closed the program by stating, "May Our Flags Rest In Peace.”  She thanked everyone for attending the program and for helping the Town of Lake Lure honor our American Flag.  She gave special thanks to the Lake Lure Police Department for organizing the ceremony, to Kat Canant for preparing the flags, and to the Lake Lure Fire Department for ensuring the flags were safely retired.  

Following the ceremony, the Lake Lure Firefighters gathered the ashes of the American Flags and buried them in accordance with the US Flag Code. 

May Our Flags Rest In Peace 

Special thanks to Tony Barnwell for sharing his exceptional photographs.