- Hello, I'm West Tennessee PBS General Manager and CEO Peter Noll.

I'm on the set of another local production by Channel 11.

If you would like to see more local programming like you're about to watch, go to our website westtnpbs.org and make a donation.

Thank you.

- I feel it's important to do stuff like this because there's a disconnect between older generations and my generation and younger of, again, that sense of civic duty and patriotism and something like this is a great educational tool of the importance that our flag holds and the reverence that we should show to it.

- When a flag is worn, faded, and tattered, you collect all of those flags and you do a retirement ceremony with the flags over a fire.

And at the end of that, you will take the ashes and bury the ashes and then say a prayer over that.

- From Casey Jones Village in Jackson, Tennessee, it's a Channel 11 exclusive.

As we are here on Independence Week and looking at all of the things that we are so proud of as far as our country is concerned, it's a flag retirement ceremony.

I'm Steve Beverly, along with Julie Cooke.

And Julie, it's a spectacular day for this and it's something that many people are not aware of and probably have never seen a flag retired.

- It is a special day indeed and such a beautiful sight on the lawn of the Providence House here at Casey Jones Village.

So I hope you'll stay with us as West Tennessee PBS presents "Retiring Old Glory."

(slow patriotic music) - We welcome you to the ceremony, a very special one, the largest of its type that we have hosted here in West Tennessee, and we're delighted to have you with us and it's a special, special day.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you will please rise for the presentation of our nation's colors, presented by the Captain Jack Holland Marine Corps League Detachment Color Guard.

Remain standing for the national anthem that will be performed by Annie Zhao and our pledge of allegiance and comments from Carter Beachum, Boy Scout Troop 205, West Tennessee Area Council.

Gentlemen, march on the colors.

- [Marine] Over.

On.

Halt.

Present colors.

("The Star-Spangled Banner") ("The Star-Spangled Banner") ("The Star-Spangled Banner") (audience applauding) Attention.

- For over 200 years, "The Star Spangled Banner" has stood as a symbol of our nation.

As a scout, this flag represents to me the sacrifice made by our veterans.

As a scout, this flag represents to me freedom and democracy.

As a scout, this flag represents to me justice and liberty.

As a scout, this flag represents to me a more perfect nation.

When I see our flag, I remember the sacrifices my fathers, grandfathers and great grand, my father, great grandfather, grandfathers and beyond, have given to this country so conceived in liberty and freedom.

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance, - [All] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

- [Steve Bower] Post the colors.

- [Marine] Forward march.

- [Steve Beverly] The young man leading the pledge of allegiance was Carter Beachum from Troop 205 from the West Tennessee Area Council of the Boy Scouts.

- The colors are posted.

Our invocation will be led by Dub Oliver, who is the president of Union University.

And then we'll introduce our special leader for this day.

President Oliver.

- Would you pray with me?

Oh Lord, our God, we come before you this day with thanksgiving, Lord, thanksgiving for a beautiful day, Lord, thanksgiving for a community in which we live, Lord, thanksgiving for this country and the flag that is represented.

And Lord, we trust in your sovereignty that by your providence, our country was created the greatest beacon for freedom and liberty the world has ever known.

And Lord, I pray that as we observe the retirement ceremony for these flags, Lord, may we be reminded of our duty and responsibility as citizens of this great nation.

Lord, inspire in us a commitment to one another, to the ideals upon which this nation was founded.

And Lord indeed, may we ever become a more perfect union by Your grace.

And Lord, we thank you that from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, You may be praised.

May such be the case in our country today and forevermore.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

- [Steve Beverly] And Dub Oliver himself is United States Air Force Veteran.

- Ladies and gentlemen, you may be seated.

Our thanks to Andy Zhao for the presentation of the national anthem.

She is the Reigning Miss Tennessee Teen Volunteer.

(audience applauding) Now, if you will welcome the third generation, the founding family of what is a community institution now in Jackson and West Tennessee, in fact, known all over the world.

And that's the Casey Jones Village Old Country Store, Casey Jones Village, Jackson, Tennessee.

Please welcome Mr. Brooks Shaw.

(audience applauding) - Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone for being here with us today.

It's an honor to be in Casey Jones Village for such a wonderful event.

We still have some guests coming in, trying to beat the heat.

We appreciate your your being here with us in this hot day, but we'll be respectful of your time, and do what we need to do and then get you home.

This event is important to us.

Our family, our Shaw family has always been eager to show our patriotic pride.

We have actually a 48 star flag that hangs in the gift shop at the old country store that every guest that goes into the ice cream parlor walks under.

And so that's one of my favorite pieces in the entire antique collection is that flag hanging in that spot that we're able to do.

So we appreciate your time here with us today.

There's an obvious disconnect between older generations, my generation and younger generations of civic duty and of patriotism and of pride for our national symbol and the flag.

And so this event is to hopefully help bridge some of that gap.

We've got a lot of young scouts here today and we sure appreciate the help of all the Boy Scouts with this event and then a lot of folks from our older generation.

It's wonderful that we can all come together and celebrate this flag and retire these flags that we're gonna do today.

So without further ado, I'll turn it back over to our wonderful MC and thank you so much.

(audience applauding) - Thank you very much Brooks.

Appreciate your family and appreciate this institution in our community.

We have some special words that are going to be issued today, but we'll begin with a proclamation that's gonna be jointly presented by JP Stovall, who is the City Councilman-Elect District One city of Jackson, and by Mike Bryant representing Madison County and the Madison County Commission of Madison County Mayor's office.

Mayor Conger of course, we've had a firefighter, his funeral is scheduled this morning and so our mayors are there today.

So we appreciate JP Stovall being with us and Mike Bryant to represent the city of Jackson and Madison County.

Gentlemen.

- Good morning.

We have a special proclamation to make.

Whereas June 14th, 1777, the icon was adopted by Congress as the US flag, the same iconic figure Francis Key Scott wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner" about as daylight broke during that particular battle in the war of 1812.

The same flag still stands to represent the unity, sacrifice, resilience of this great nation.

And whereas the flag is a reminder of every battle fought for the freedoms and liberties we as Americans enjoy today, we remember every member who fought in every battle to ensure our freedom, many of which were killed or injured in battle.

And whereas every member of every division of our nation's armed forces is represented in those 13 stripes and 50 stars.

Our flag colors each representing their own attribute and characteristic of the ideal when we were founded.

Red for Valor, blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

White for innocence, purity.

And whereas when this honorary national icon is weathered, tattered, and worn, it is necessary that it be given a dignified retirement and burial.

And whereas observing this flag retirement celebration, we demonstrate our gratitude to those who have served and continue to serve our country as well as our commitment to upholding the principles and ideals that make our nation strong.

Now therefore, I Scott Conger, mayor of the city of Jackson, Tennessee, do hereby proclaim June 24th, 2023 as Flag Retirement Ceremony Day in witness whereof, I here unto set my hand and cause the seal of the city of Jackson, Tennessee to be affixed this 24th day of June, 2023.

Scott Conger, Mayor, city of Jackson, Tennessee.

Thank you.

(audience applauding) - Thank you gentlemen.

Also joining us today to represent the state of Tennessee, both of these representatives are from Madison County, Tennessee.

Please welcome State Senator Ed Jackson and State Representative Chris Todd.

(audience applauding) - Thank you Steve.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for each one of you for being here today.

It's indeed a pleasure for me to be able to hear and speak a little bit about our flag and what it means to me.

I wanna thank Dan Brooks and Jackie Utley for getting this put together and Brooks for providing a location for it.

It's perfect.

It's a little bit warm today, but it beats the rain and the cold.

So glad for everyone to be here.

But Dan asked me to tell you a little bit about what our flag and our Star-Spangled Banner means to me.

But first I'd like to tell a little story before I begin.

The time was February, 1945.

Story about a man who volunteered and joined the Navy to serve country during World War II.

He left at home his wife and two daughters.

He was trained and set sail from San Diego to small island named Iwo Jima.

Everybody knows Iwo Jima and how important that was in World War II to be a place where we could stage off of.

This naval officer was accompanied by 70,000 other service members of all branches of the military.

Most of you know the story and how important Iwo Jima was for the US to occupy.

This volcanic island was formed by the extinct volcano of Mount Suribachi.

There were two very important airfields on this island that would let us stage off of that with our bombers and that our escort fighters would be able to escort them to the mainland of Japan.

Iwo Jima was heavily fortified and dug in by 21,000 Japanese troops, who'd been digging in for months and even years, probably getting ready for some type of a battle.

The bombing began February the 19th and went on for many days and weeks by ships off the beaches and overhead by the Army Air Corps bombing.

During this time, the thousands of Marines stormed the islands.

Thank you for the Marines for doing that.

The battle lasted for 36 days.

Can you imagine the sounds of constant bombings, the loud, the flashes?

Can you imagine the smoke that was created by that?

Can you imagine the emotions of each survivor, of each service member going into harm's way?

Also, imagine when the bombing was over, the Marines and the army units that did the hand-to-hand fighting and reached their objective, when they looked up from the ships, from the shores of Iwo Jima from the island, and they looked up on top of Mount Suribaci and flying over the island on top of Mount Suribaci was America's flag, the star spangled banner.

Well, I have not forgotten the sailor, the Navy veteran who was on the ship to tell you about the naval officer who left his family back home to defend our country.

Can you imagine the pride he felt by the sorrow of loss of life?

But this navy veteran and volunteer was Ed Jackson.

It's not me, but it was my father who served in the Navy during War II.

And I proudly tell this story.

He didn't talk much about it, didn't know a lot from him, but I can imagine how he felt on the ship and on the island of Iwo Jima, what they did and were able to do.

Just as Francis Scott Key felt when the War of 1812 in Baltimore Harbor and the smoke and the noise through the night.

And he looked up during the day as things cleared and he saw our star-spangled banner, and with the emotions and the joy that he felt for our country, how it was formed.

So this is why it's important to me that we recognize our flag, the symbol of United States of America, the freedoms that we enjoy here like no other country in the world has ever experienced.

And I'm just very, very proud that we are able to do this for our flags that are not able to be flown anymore because they've used up their useful existence.

So we need to have a proper retirement.

And this is today is the way it's done.

And thank you all for doing this.

This is very important and I thank you very much for this ceremony.

(audience applauding) - I too want to thank you for being here.

This is a very important service and a very important time in our country when we need to be reminded of our symbols, of our heroes.

Like our heroes that are here with us today that served many years ago in a battlefield far away so that we could be free.

As a young man, I was very fortunate to grow up just north of here in Paris under two World War II veterans that are dear to my heart.

One was a great uncle of mine, my grandmother's brother who was in Pearl Harbor when it was attacked.

Fortunately he survived and he, along with another gentleman that was on a aircraft carrier as an airplane mechanic, Chief Petty Officer Roy Martin from Big Sandy, Tennessee and later from Paris, I was able to grow up under his leadership and his guidance, just like a grandfather to me.

And both of these gentlemen taught me a great deep respect for our flag and for our country.

They told me of the experiences they had serving our country during that war time so that we could be free, so that I could have a life without having to be occupied or to fight for my existence.

And I've always appreciated that and they taught me that respect early on and I've carried that obviously into my adulthood.

Though it's hard to look at that flag without thinking of these two gentlemen that are dear to my heart.

And a tear comes to my eye because I've been to a number of funerals, theirs included, where they have folded that flag in honor of their service and presented that to their families that were left behind.

So I thank them, I thank all of the veterans that are here with us today for your service to this great country so that we could live free, that I could have the privilege of raising a family here in this community without threat of a foreign invader or a foreign occupier, that I could represent this community in the legislature and carry out something that's a tremendous high honor for me.

So I love this community, I love this country and I love this flag.

Thank you so much for being here.

(audience applauding) - Thank you very much gentlemen.

We appreciate you, appreciate your service to the people of Tennessee.

State representative mentioned the flag folding ceremony and that's the next part of our program conducted by the Captain Jack Holland Marine Corps League Detachment.

And that's gonna be coordinated and presented by our event organizer.

If you'll make welcome the man that's made this possible.

That's Mr. Dan Brooks.

(audience applauding) - [Steve Beverly] Dan Brooks, who is known as the flag expert extraordinaire in west Tennessee.

He knows all about the history of our flags.

- And good morning ladies and gentlemen.

As Steve said, my name is Dan Brooks.

I'm an army veteran, an Eagle scout, a community volunteer, and I am honored to be here today to have this ceremony that we call Retired Flag Day.

I've been excited about this day since I first received a phone call two months ago and was asked to partner with Brooks Shaw to help bring a historic flag retirement to Jackson, Madison County.

Our goal from the start was to show our reverence and respect for the US flag.

So I want to ask our planning team, Brooks Shaw, Roxanne Lyons, Brianna Klein and Misty Krum to please stand and be recognized for a totally outstanding job.

They saw the vision and they pursued it with passion.

Please give them a round of applause.

(audience applauding) Next, I would like all veterans who are in the audience today to stand or wave.

These individuals are true heroes who have given their best for our great country in their service.

(audience applauding) There are many organizations represented here today.

One of them is the Sons of the American Revolution, of which I am a member.

Would Brooks Shaw please come up on the stage.

- [Steve Beverly] Brooks Shaw's a third generation executive of the Old Country Store in Casey Jones Village.

- Brooks on behalf of the Jackson, Madison chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, it is to honor and to recognize not only you but the Casey Jones Village for having the vision to put on this amazing flag retirement.

I have a certificate for both of you and I also have a special flag.

Brooks, I have two certificates here, one for you and one for the Casey Jones Village in honor of this Retired Flag Day.

And Brooks, I also have, and I'm gonna unfold, I have a Betsy Ross flag that you can hang in the old country store in honor of today, Retired Flag Day.

So thank you for all of your help and support to make this day possible.

(audience applauding) - Thank you.

I actually don't have one of these.

- Huh?

- I actually don't have one.

- [Julie] It's truly an honor.

I certainly remember when he was a teenager just working part-time at Casey Jones Village.

- Now would the flag folding team please come forward.

- [Steve Beverly] Julie, we have a team that is going to fold the flags and one of the things that is interesting is that there are 13 folds to the flag.

- [Julie] Yes.

- The portion of the flag denoting honor is a canton of blue containing the stars, representing the states our veterans served in uniform.

The canton field of blue dresses from left to right and is inverted when draped as a pall on a casket of a veteran who has served our country in uniform.

In the armed forces of the United States, at the ceremony of retreat, the flag is lowered, folded in a triangle fold and kept under watch throughout the night as a tribute to our nation's honored dead.

The next morning it is brought out, and at the ceremony of revival run aloft as a symbol of our belief in the resurrection of the body.

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks, who gave a portion of their lives for our defense or for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.

The fourth flag fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.

The fifth fold is a tribute to our country for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right, but is still our country, right or wrong."

The sixth fold is where our hearts lie.

It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

The seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces.

For it is through the armed forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the borders of our republic.

And the eighth fold is a tribute to the ones who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.

And to honor mother for whom it flies on Mother's Day.

The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty, and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.

The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he too has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

The eleventh fold in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies in their eyes the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The twelfth fold in the eyes of a Christian citizen represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies in their eyes God, the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding us of our national motto, "In God we trust."

- [Julie] Believe they're gonna have it perfectly folded.

- [Steve Beverly] That's the amazing thing is how precise they are and how the flag just fits into place.

- After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington and the sailors and marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the armed forces of the United States, preserving for us the rights, privileges, and freedoms we enjoy today.

I'd like to ask Brooks Shaw to please come forward and accept the flag.

- [Steve Beverly] I was mentioning our daughter Holly now has the flag that was presented to our family at my father's burial.

And it's an emotional thing to have that happen, but it's, for veterans, it's just a marvelous thing to have that keepsake.

- [Julie] A treasure for her.

No doubt.

- The Declaration of Independence declares that the rights that we possess are endowed by our creator.

Ladies and gentlemen, "God Bless America".

- [Steve Beverly] It's gonna be sung by Megan King.

(swelling patriotic music) (gentle patriotic music) ♪ God bless America ♪ Land that I love ♪ Stand beside her and guide her ♪ ♪ Through the night with a light from above ♪ ♪ From the mountains to the prairies ♪ ♪ To the ocean white with foam ♪ God bless America ♪ My home sweet home (patriotic music) ♪ God bless America ♪ Land that I love ♪ Stand beside her and guide her ♪ ♪ Through the night with a light from above ♪ ♪ From the mountains to the prairies ♪ ♪ To the ocean white with foam ♪ God bless America ♪ My home sweet home ♪ God bless America ♪ Our home sweet home (audience applauding) - [Julie] Oh my stars.

How beautiful.

Megan King, "God Bless America."

- We come to a very special part of this program today and that's the preparation for our flag retirements and their burial and the special ceremony conclusion.

We'll go through some steps and this special recognition of a very distinguished guest of ours today.

We'll have "Taps", a closing prayer from Dr. Dub Oliver, Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" and then our final prayer.

To conduct this part of our ceremony, please welcome back our event organizer, Mr. Dan Brooks.

(audience applauding) - [Steve Beverly] And this is always an emotional part of these flag retirement ceremonies.

And Julie, I have to be honest, I've never been to one until today.

- [Julie] I have never seen one, I wanna say in Girl Scouts we had one at the end of our camp because it was being retired.

- Thank you Steve.

- [Julie] Very smaller scale of course, but.

- I am so honored today to have the privilege to introduce to you an amazing veteran that I just met the other day after a two hour conversation with him.

To say I was touched deeply by his story would be an understatement.

You see, Jack Claiborne is a World War II Navy veteran and survivor of the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach.

He was a gunner on one of the landing crafts that day.

He would like to share with you some of what he experienced on that D-day.

So Jack, why don't you come forward?

We have a microphone right down here on the brick passageway and share with us something about D-Day.

- [Steve Beverly] Jack Claiborne is a hundred years old and as we say, with every passing day, men and women who served during World War II are no longer with us.

And he's one of the few that's remaining.

He is at the Tennessee State Veterans Home in Humboldt.

(audience applauding) - [Julie] Here in Humboldt.

- [Steve Beverly] And does such a wonderful job of dealing with our veterans.

And you can see the crowd, very proud.

- [Julie] Standing ovation.

Wonderful.

He's in a wheelchair, of course.

- I want to thank everybody for attending this.

And I first want to thank the state of Tennessee for having a home out there that I can go to.

And it's amazing.

And I'll talk a little about D-day and then I want to introduce you to somebody that's more important than any person for the veterans I've ever seen.

But anyway, I'll start talking about D-Day.

I was way over in England and we, as some of you did not know that the D-day was supposed to have been on June the fifth.

And it was such a tremendous storm on the channel that Eisenhower canceled it a day and it was still a storm the day of D-Day.

But anyway, we went across and on D-day morning, (clears throat) excuse me, 7:30.

I was on a landing craft and the LCI and that was, and LCI stood for Landing Craft Infantry.

And we carried 202 troops in and at 7:30 that morning to the beach and I helped land there and on that beach that day, there was 4,000 boys that got killed that day.

And I was right out among them.

A 19 year old boy and a 19 year old kid shouldn't have to see this stuff.

But I had to help handle dead, living.

People without arms, people hollering.

And the good Lord was with me.

And I didn't get a scratch and He's still with me.

I'll be 99 years old in September and He's still with me.

But that's all I'll say about D-Day.

I also, I stayed on that beach for 58 days after that.

And so anyway, I want to introduce this person.

She's done more for the veterans than anybody I ever saw.

And she started this Forever Young Veterans organization.

She lives at Collierville, Tennessee and she has a meeting and she has carried hundreds of people all over the world, veterans.

And she's carried me back to Normandy three different times.

And I just love her to death.

And her name is Diane Height and she's had hundreds of people, of veterans all over the world.

And I want her to come forward and say a few words.

And Diane, would you come forward?

(audience applauding) This is one of the sweetest ladies I ever saw.

And she has done all of this and has never accepted one penny.

- Hi Jackson.

- [Audience Member] Hi.

- You're not gonna believe this.

When my husband was stationed at the Pentagon, I'm from Arkansas, we would drive all the way through to Arkansas.

We'd come through Jackson and I said to him, you know, I would love to live here someday.

And we're in, I never thought we would be in Tennessee ever, but we do live in Collierville, Tennessee.

So we're close.

But I've always loved Jackson.

Well, I wanna just briefly tell you why I started Forever Young Veterans.

When I was growing up, my father became an alcoholic after World War II and I watched him suffer and our family suffered and he loved this country so much.

And when my husband was flying for FedEx and our youngest was going into his senior year of high school, I said, "I wanna do something for World War II veterans.

They've never asked for anything from our country."

And my dad never asked for anything.

And I thought I can do some small little wishes for them, maybe get a medal they never received or reunite them with a comrade.

But what I didn't realize, and it was a shock to me, is that our World War II veterans were suffering silently just like my dad and their families were suffering like our family.

And so at that point we decided to make Forever Young Veterans about honor and healing, we wanted to help bring healing to our veterans who had suffered in combat and also to their families.

And like Jack told you, we have traveled the whole world together, haven't we Jack?

We've had some amazing experiences and I just want you to know, this is an American hero.

We have honored thousands of veterans, but he is one of my favorites of all time.

Jack, I love you and you are an American hero.

- Thank you.

(audience applauding) - [Steve Beverly] Jack corrected us a moment ago and said that he's about to be 99.

- [Julie] 99 in September.

- [Steve Beverly] But I'll say again, the West Tennessee State Veterans Home in Humboldt does such a marvelous job in caring for our veterans.

- Jack, in honor of you coming today and participating in our Retired Flag Day, I have a couple of things for you today to give you.

First off is a US flag, brand new US flag from the American Veterans Association.

So I want to present that to you today.

- Thank you, thank you sir.

(audience applauding) - And Jack today we have retired, we're gonna be retiring many flags.

One of them in the group was a huge garrison flag.

On normal flags, your little metal grommets that hold the flag on the pole are just little metal round, you know grommets.

But on the garrison flag, that flag is so heavy that it requires big pins.

So I, on that flag, I cut two of the clips off and put 'em on a carabiner.

And I want to present that to you today because that's gonna be a flag that we're gonna be retiring today.

As remembrance of June 24th, 2023, Retired Flag Day.

And we have another presentation of Senator Jackson has something for you also.

Senator.

- Thank you Dan.

Again, this is a huge, huge honor.

Mr. Claiborne, thank you for your service.

You are truly one of American's greatest generation and we thank you for what you did during World War II.

Didn't know exactly what it was that you did, but a gunner on a landing craft, you are a target.

And I'm so glad that you were able to survive that, as many others did not.

So thank you for your service to our country.

Representative Todd and I want to present you with a Tennessee state flag that you can have and hopefully we'll be able to display somewhere.

So Representative Todd.

- I want to thank everybody that is here for being so nice to me and it is just amazing that the Lord has blessed me like this.

I appreciate everybody here and and especially Diane 'cause she has done so much for me and I just love her.

Just can't tell you enough about her.

Thank you, appreciate you.

(audience applauding) - If they could hold this for you, these gifts that we've given you because we have something else that's special.

Today is our Retired Flag Day and we're gonna be retiring quite a few US flags.

Well today in honor of you, you get to put the first US flag on the fire over here.

So I'm gonna give you this flag here.

And guess what Jack, when I was going through all of the flags, I came across a US Navy flag that needs to be retired.

So you get to retire that flag also for your service in the US Navy during World War II D-Day.

- Thank you.

Real pleased to be putting it in there.

- Yeah, you can.

Does someone wanna push him over to the fire here?

- Do the back up on that thing.

- Yes sir.

We wanted to honor you.

Yeah, just toss it right on in.

- [Julie] Mr. Claiborne being wheeled over to the to the fire.

The very first flag to be retired.

(audience applauding) Another standing ovation.

- A couple things before we retire the flags here today is that there is a flag being flown in honor of June 24th, 2023, in honor of Retired Flag Day in Washington, DC, and when the flag arrives with a certificate, Brooks will be able to display it in the old country store.

We wanna thank Kenny Newsom for taking care of the details of having this flag flown.

Now as we get ready to retire flags, let me share with you a few things about our US flag.

The two most popular names of the US flag are Old Glory.

And I encourage you to go on the internet and look up the story of Old Glory.

And the other most popular name is Stars and Stripes.

And then someone said, well, isn't the star-spangled banner one of them?

Yes, that would be ranked number number three.

The two, excuse me, the red stands for blood and courage, the white for purity and innocence and the blue for justice and perseverance.

The stars which represents the 50 states are stars because that's how they navigated across the Atlantic Ocean to America.

When a flag becomes worn, faded, and tattered, which all of these flags here today are, we retire the flag in a ceremonial fire.

After the retirement, the ashes are buried and a prayer given.

We will bury these ashes tomorrow because the burn bins are gonna be so hot today that we're gonna have to let them cool down.

So tomorrow we will be burying them next to the Providence House.

And Brooks Shaw is getting a stone that will be engraved, indicating this day is Retired Flag Day, June 24th, 2023.

During the flag retirement, I will be reading a special ceremonial story.

So scouts begin having everybody proceed.

I am your flag.

I appear in many places.

I have taken many forms and be called by many names.

I was authorized by Congress in 1818 in the form you see now and have remained unchanged except to add a new star every July 4th after a new state joins the union, until I have reached my present number of 50.

I am more than just red, white, and blue cloth shaped into a design.

I am a silent sentinel of freedom.

People of every country in the world know me on sight.

Many countries love me as you do.

Other countries look at me with contempt because they don't allow the freedoms of democracy that I represent.

But our country looks on me with respect.

I am strong and the people of America have made me strong.

My strength comes from your willingness to give help to those who are in need.

You strive for world peace, yet stand ready to fight oppression.

You send resources and offer technology to less fortunate countries so they may strive to become self-sufficient.

You feed starving children, you offer a home to anyone who will pledge allegiance to me.

Your sons gathered beneath me to offer their lives on the battlefields to preserve the liberty I represent.

That's why I love the American people.

That's why I have flown so proudly.

Scouts and their families are some of my favorite people.

I listen to your patriotic songs, I'm there at your flag ceremonies and I appreciate the tender care you give me.

I feel the love when you say your pledge.

I notice that your hand covers your heart when I am on parade.

How smartly you salute as I pass by and I ripple with pleasure when I see it.

Now I'm tired and it's time for me to rest in the sacred flames here today.

My colors are faded, my cloth is tattered, but my spirit remains unbroken.

To set my spirit loose, you will place me respectfully on your fire here today.

As you cut and rip me apart, think about the 13 original colonies and the pioneers who carved the nation out of the wilderness.

They risked everything to fight for the independence which we enjoy today.

Before you put me on your fire, remember that I am the symbol of our nation.

Red because of human sacrifice.

Blue because of the blue loyalty of its defenders, and white, which symbolizes liberty.

Our land of the free.

The stars are symbols of the united efforts and the hopes and the hearts of many people striving to keep America great.

I was born amidst the first flames of America's fight for freedom.

I shall return to the flames of your sacred fire here today.

To be born again and wave over this great nation.

First stripe, the 13 stripes stand for the 13 original colonies, which were Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and New Jersey.

Second stripe.

The white stands for purity.

Third stripe.

The red stands for courage.

Fourth Stripe.

Give me liberty or give me death.

Fifth stripe.

One if by land, two if by sea.

Sixth stripe, we the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution of the United States of America.

Seventh stripe.

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

They are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among these life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Eighth stripe.

Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of a religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Ninth stripe.

Congress should make no law abridging the freedom of speech or press.

Tenth stripe.

Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth to this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Eleventh stripe.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.

Twelfth stripe.

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.

Thirteenth stripe.

One step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

As you watch me burn here today, do not be sad or feel sorry for me.

I have the great honor of being your flag of the United States of America, and the republic for which I stand, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Now I am just a memory, but if there's a tear in your eye or a lump in your throat, if you feel a shiver in your spine as you watch me burn, then I will be back the next time you need me.

And my colors will be fresh and bright and my edges won't be ragged anymore.

When I climb to the top of the flagpole, I'll wave at you.

And remember the love and respect that you have shown me here today.

Let it be known to all that I shall continue to be the enduring banner of the United States of America.

(audience applauding) - [Steve Beverly] And Julie, it's always an emotional moment when "Taps" are played at any ceremony of this kind or anything involving our military.

- [Julie] Very much so.

And I'm so proud to see all these boy scouts.

This is a large troop.

Moms and of course the girls now are in the Boy Scouts, but they've all been so attentive and so active in all of these proceedings.

- [Steve Beverly] And this is a day they'll never forget because we've had so much strife and division in our country and a lot of times there's a feeling we've lost our sense of patriotism.

And these young men and women who are here today, they're getting a taste of that.

- [Julie] That's one of the main things I remember about scouting.

They really stressed, you know, you never let that flag touch the ground.

You never let it get wet.

("Taps") ("Taps") - [Steve Beverly] Now, Air Force Veteran and Union University President Dub Oliver with a closing prayer.

- Let's pray together.

Oh Lord our God, we do come before you with grateful hearts.

And Lord, we're grateful for symbols and examples, symbols like this great flag, this star-Spangled Banner, this stars and stripes, this old glory as we see it waving proudly.

Lord, may we be reminded of our responsibilities of citizens of this great country.

And Lord, we thank you for examples, men like Jack Claiborne who served, who offered himself so that we might enjoy the blessings of liberty.

And Jesus, you were the one who said greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

And so we remember today, the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands who literally gave their lives so that we might enjoy this.

Lord, may we never forget, and may we also never forget the powerful symbol of the cross.

Your cross Jesus Christ, by which we have salvation and everlasting freedom with you and our heavenly Father in heaven.

Lord bless us now as we go that we might be faithful to you and faithful to serve one another in Jesus Christ.

Amen.

(patriotic music) ♪ If tomorrow all the things were gone ♪ - As we hear the sounds of "God Bless the USA," this has been an emotional day, but one in which we celebrate what Old Glory means.

- It is.

And the, of course, the PBS special will be called "Retiring Old Glory."

There were over 350 flags, I understand, that we are retiring today and people have been coming through the line.

Every person in the audience was given a flag to put into the fire.

And now tomorrow, they've got to let the barrels cool off, of course.

But the ashes will be buried just outside the Providence house, the big white house here on the grounds of Casey Jones Village.

And there will be a stone engraved to mark this day as it is a historic day in Jackson.

And looking at all these young people, as you said earlier, Steve, this will be something, it may be not sinking in right this minute, but when they're older, I know that it will mean a great deal to them.

- If you've never seen a flag retirement ceremony, now you have, and you see what happens to flags after they have served us in our country and new ones come along to replace them.

But I've enjoyed being with you and as I know Julie has.

And so for all of us here with West Tennessee PBS, remember Old Glory all throughout this season of independence.

And I'm Steve Beverly saying, come back to see us every chance you get.

And remember, so long from the great hub city of West Tennessee and God bless America.

(patriotic music) (patriotic music) (patriotic music) (patriotic music) (patriotic music) (patriotic music) (patriotic music) (patriotic music) - Hello, I'm West Tennessee PBS General Manager and CEO Peter Noll.

The program you've just watched is made possible by donations by viewers like you.

If you wanna see more local programming from Channel 11, go to westtnpbs.org and click on the donate tab.

Thank you.

(music chiming)