MISSOULA — Flags were retired during a Saturday ceremony in Missoula to remember the over 2,000 service members who were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.
The annual event led by American Legion Post 27, retires tattered flags during a flag retiring ceremony.
Ceremony organizer Susan Reneau says December 7, 1941, is a significant day in the history of the United States.
This is a significant day, and we need to honor the people that died and were injured that day. And to honor them, we are properly retiring about 800 flags that have been flown over Missoula and the Bitterroot for the last year," Reneau said.
"We do this once a year, and this is through the American Legion Post 27,” Reneau continued.
The ashes of the flags will be given to the Western Montana cemetery in a box to be buried with a veteran who has passed away.
“Flags are not garbage, so we are not throwing them away. We are actually honoring them for the symbol that they represent, which is our country. So once these flags are retired, parentheses put into a burn barrel, their ashes are going to be given in a box," Reneau explained.
"Believe it or not, all of these flags are going to whittle down to a little box, and we're going to give it to Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery to be buried with a near future veteran that is being buried there,” Reneau added.
People who have flags that need to be retired can give them to the VFW post on Main Street in Missoula or ar any American Legion post.
Any VFW post or American Legion can accept flags to be retired.
