Elks members hold flag retirement ceremony

The Weiser Elks Lodge held a formal ceremony Saturday, Oct. 5 to properly retire flags that have outlived their life expectancy.

 Historically, the Weiser Elks holds the ceremony every year, but have not done so the last couple of years, according to former Exalted Ruler Ken Salzsieder.

 “Yes, it’s been a couple of years since we’ve done it, so we thought it was a good time to bring it back,” he told the Signal American. “It’s just to give the flags a dignified retirement. Some people don’t know what to do with them when they get worn out and the only way to get rid of them is properly burning them.”

 The ceremony began with an opening prayer followed by a discourse by current Exalted Ruler Tim Fiscus.

 “The Flag of the United States of America is the emblem of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, which is distinctively American and intensely patriotic,” he said, in part. “Our American Flag flies majestically over our homes, our communities and our public places, there by proclaiming and signifying our pride and confidence in America.

 “The Flag is a symbol of our great nation. We have looked upon our American Flag as a symbol of our national unity and of self-dedication to God, to country and to our fellow man. It is the spirit of our undying devotion to our country. It has been the banner of hope and freedom for generations of Americans. Our Flag represents one’s greatest, noblest and most sublime dream as well as the highest ideals of individual liberty, justice and equal opportunity for all.”

 The U.S. Flag Code, stipulates that “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.”

 Elks members, however, did not burn every flag in their possession Saturday due to the volume of flags in their possession.

 “We can’t burn them all,” Salzsieder said. “There are probably hundreds that people turn in. We usually take them to Thomason Funeral Home here in Weiser and they burn them for us. It’s great that they are willing to do that for us.”