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Honor guard shoulders flag duty

The Temple Terrace Police Department is collecting worn U.S. flags, which will be burned in a ceremony.

By TIM GRANT
Published May 13, 2005

TEMPLE TERRACE - What do you do with an old, wornout American flag?

You're supposed to burn it.

Flags that are worn, faded, ripped or otherwise unserviceable are often burned in respectful, patriotic ceremonies.

This upcoming Flag Day, June 14, the Temple Terrace Police Department will formally dispose of such flags.

People are invited to drop off unserviceable flags by then at disposal boxes throughout the city, including City Hall, the Temple Terrace Library and the Temple Terrace Recreation Center.

The public is also invited to attend the communitywide flag disposal event at 8:30 p.m. June 14 at a pavilion behind Lewis Elementary School on Whiteway Drive.

The ceremony is intended to become an annual tradition in Temple Terrace.

"We saw a need," police Chief Tony Velong said. "People started calling to say their flags had fallen or gotten old and weren't serviceable anymore. And rather than just throw them in a garbage can, we wanted to honor our country and flag and develop a protocol to do that."

While it's not exactly a festive occasion, the city expects a sizable local turnout.

"Temple Terrace is very hometownish," said police Detective Bernie Seeley, who is coordinating the event. "After Sept. 11th there were lots of impromptu meetings at churches. People all over town were coming out to sing and pray. It's strange in a good way like that."

Temple Terrace has a large population of veterans. So does its police force.

Velong, the chief, served in the U.S. Army Reserves and Coast Guard for more than 20 years. He formed the department's honor guard when he took over as chief in July 2000.

"It's a way of honoring our fallen comrades in our agency family and other agencies," he said. "I've spent 36 years as a policeman. I've seen honor guards everywhere, and we didn't have one."

All the wornout flags will be shredded according to government protocol and ceremoniously inspected, blessed and burned in a sunset performance involving the police honor guard and the full police force wearing medals and dress blues.

The Police Department uses the same basic ceremony as the American Legion or the Veterans of Foreign Wars, but it has modified the ceremony for a paramilitary organization.

It consists of the whole Police Department lining up in two flanks. The chief stands between the flanks on one end, with the burn barrel on the other end. The honor guard escorts the shredded flags to the barrel.

[Last modified May 12, 2005, 00:28:09]