WHEATLAND – On Thursday, members of the local VFW and American Legion chapters in Wheatland retired more than 200 United States flags with a special ceremony.
The ceremony took place at the Platte County Courthouse, and was conducted much like a short funeral service.
The flags had been collected from the community.
VFW and American member Rod Birkle said that flags collected from the community had become worn or damaged over time, making them unserviceable.

The practice of flag retirement dates back to 1937, and was started by the American Legion. Flags that are no longer in a condition to be flown are disposed of in a special ceremony, after which time the flags are burned, and the ashes buried.
Following Thursday’s ceremony, Birkle said that the flags were transported by Gorman Funeral Services to Casper, where they were burned with flags from that area by a Casper American Legion chapter.
The Legion typically holds a ceremony annually, however, Birkle said it has been about two years since the last ceremony.
Birkle said that residents should bring worn and damaged flags to the Legion to ensure that the disposal follows proper flag etiquette.
“It is supposed to be a very solemn ceremony. The ceremony we host disposes of the flags properly,” he said.
Ceremonial burning is the encouraged method of disposing of an American flag, and Birkle said that the Legion is able to accept damaged flags at any time in order to store them for proper disposal.
For more information, please contact Darrel Curry at 322-8195, or Ed Cox at 331-3503.