Dearborn Veterans Retire American Colors

Black plumes of smoke billowed into the clear sky and the sound of gun shots echoed throughout the area as hundreds of American flags were quickly consumed by flames.

Dearborn’s annual ceremony, an event dedicated to the proper retirement of flags no longer fit for display, took place Tuesday evening. Hosted in , the event drew around 50 members of the public in addition to dozens of veterans, Boy Scouts and representatives from the offices of U.S. Reps. John Dingell and John Conyers Jr.

Ceremonial burning is the proper way to dispose of the stars and stripes, according to American Legion protocols. And disregarding this code is offensive, Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad said at Tuesday's ceremony.

“As an American, I can never accept that,” said Haddad, who spoke on behalf of Mayor Jack O’Reilly. “When I look at the flag, I take it very personal.”

Haddad said when he looks at the American flag, he sees not only a symbol of the country’s ideals, but also the faces of past, present and future war veterans. Some of these very veterans–the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council –hosted the event. Along with the ceremonial burning of the flags, it included a military bugler and a 21-gun salute.

Tom Wilson, senior vice commander of the DAWVC, said his organization has held the ceremony for more than 20 years. And it’s not something that local veterans take lightly.

“It represents quite a bit from a military standpoint,” said Wilson, a retired staff sergeant. “It represents all the branches of service.”

Flag Day is the perfect opportunity to host such an event, although colors can be retired at any time, Wilson said. The holiday commemorates the adoption of the stars and stripes by the Second Continental Congress in 1777. Tuesday marked the flag’s 234th birthday.

While the ceremony allowed civilians to properly dispose of flags that were worn, tattered or faded, it meant much more for active soldiers and veterans present. DAWVC Commander Craig Tillman, a former Army staff sergeant who served in Vietnam, said the symbolic importance of such military traditions can’t be overlooked.

“We wrote a blank check to our country to give up to our life to defend that flag,” Tillman said. “It means everything to us. If we could do it again, we’d go back in the service now and still fight for it. It’s just the symbol of what we stand for.”