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CONCORD, Mass. - Col. Christopher Barron, New England District
commander, joined Concord, Massachusetts, town officials, state
representatives and residents in the annual Veterans Day flag
retirement ceremony held, Nov. 11.
The official procession
began at the Prichard Gate of the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Barron and
parade marshal, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Norton of the
Massachusetts National Guard, lead veterans and military
representatives, bagpipers the 4-H Fife and Drum Corps, the Concord
Minutemen and Concord Independent Battery, clergy, Boy Scouts, Girl
Scouts, youth groups as well as selectmen and government officials
through the cemetery to the cemetery flagpole for the official
presentation.
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Col. Christopher Barron marches in the procession into Sleepy Hollow
Cemetery. Barron represented the New England District in the flag
retirement ceremony held on Veterans Day at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
in Concord, Mass. Barron spoke to the crowd urging everyone to honor
veterans, not just on Veterans Day, but every day. (Photo by Brian
Murphy/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
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“Veterans Day, for me, is a time for reflection,
appreciation and reverent celebration,” he said. “It's a
time for the nation, and each of us – its citizens – to
remember those citizen-Soldiers who throughout our history
have made the sacrifice to serve in the United States Armed
Forces and defend the nation.”
The district commander
reminded the audience that the freedom that all Americans
enjoy is not free and that veterans all over the country
have been the ones who have stepped up to pay for it.
“The price of our freedom is paid for with the
dedication of the service and in some cases the lives of our
citizens,” he said. “Across the globe, Patriots of the U.S.
armed forces – America's sons and daughters – our nation's
dearest treasure – protect our freedom with their blood,
sweat and tears.”
Following the speeches, patriotic
musical selections and invocation, the actual retirement of
the American flags commenced. Residents lined up in front of
several flaming barrels, one hand on top of the flag and one
on the bottom, to reverently present them to the flag
receiver who placed them into the flames. Piper Adam
Holdaway played musical selections during the ceremony. The
Concord Independent Battery fired cannons between songs.
Colleen Giddings, member of Concord's Public Ceremonies
and Celebrations Committee and Master of Ceremonies for the
event, explained the significance of the flag retirement
ceremony.
“When the American flag, the symbol of our
nation, is in such condition that it no longer is a fitting
emblem for display, it should not be simply cast aside or
discarded in any way that might be viewed as disrespectful,
but should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by
burning,” she said.
According to Giddings, the
tradition of the flag retirement ceremony in Concord began
in 1965 when a group of residents proposed that the ceremony
take place every year before winter arrived.
While
residents waited in line for their flags to be retired,
Giddings reminded them of why the American flag is so
significant and why Americans should treat it with great
respect.
“It is red because of human sacrifice,” she
said. “It is blue because of the true blue loyalty of its
defenders. It is white to symbolize liberty – our land of
the free. The stars are symbols of the united efforts and
hope in the hearts of people striving for a greater, nobler
America.”
During the event, Barron spoke with
veterans who marched in the procession and brought flags to
be retired. Barron said that honoring veterans does not have
to be limited to just one day.
“I urge you to
remember our veterans, today and throughout the year,” he
said. “Remember their sacrifices and remember how much they
loved their nation, so much so that they took up arms to
defend it – in peace and in war. As I say this, our great
nation has men and women of all our armed services deployed
around the world, putting their lives on the line to
preserve our freedom ... every single day.”
By U.S. Army AnnMarie Harvie
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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