They’d snapped for years in a thousand winter winds, fluttered from houses, businesses and buildings, kept still watch over long summer days.

But last Saturday morning a dozen or more tattered, weather beaten American flags, days of service done, awaited their honorable disposal at the hands of American Legion Post 78 in a ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park.

Sergeant at Arms Jennifer Dahlman carried out her duties with parade-ground precision.

“Comrade commander, we have the honor to present for your final inspection and proper disposal these flags of our country,” Dahlman said.

Dahlman carried the flags from table to burn vessel, where Rodger Birgen, first vice president for the ceremony, waited to tend the fire. Tongues of flame licked at the flags, the fire roared up, and the faded, red, white and blue dissolved into ashes.

Veterans of Foreign War Post 1774 members Bob Newman and Mike Lisle watched the ceremony. The post collects old flags from people’s houses and businesses, giving their owners new flags in exchange.

“All we require of people is that they donate something to the local food bank,” Newman said. “Then we take the flags, and we finally bring them down here.

“… People just don’t know what they should do with the old flags,” Newman added. “There’s a big box out in front of City Hall with “American Legion” on it, and they can put the flags in there.”

“It’s written up someplace that the average person cannot just discard of the flag, it has to go through a proper ceremony,” added Lisle, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. “It shows respect to the flag, rather than throw it in the garbage.”

Newman noted how very different this is from a flag burning in the streets.

“Veterans hate that,” Newman said. “We go out there and fight for our flag, and then they burn it.”