FLAG RETIREMENT CEREMONY
By
Minda Painter

This past Labor Day, Boy Scout Troop 393 from Point, Texas, headed by Scout Master Gene Carista, and veterans from the American Legion Post 156, came together to honorably retire 26 old, torn and weathered state flags and a tattered National flag. The 26 state flags retired represented the member states of the National Farmers Union. All these flags had been posted at the National Farmers Union Monument in Point, one year ago.

Despite the rain shower during the proceedings, a dignified and respectful ceremony was executed. Rev. Jack McMahon, Pastor of Emory United Methodist Church offered an opening prayer. People Organizing Ideal Neighborhoods Today (POINT) Vice President, Kenneth Cason, welcomed the crowd

U.S. Congressman Ralph Hall presented an American flag from the nation’s capitol to POINT President, Minda Painter and the flag was passed to American Legion Commander, Leroy Cason. In a ceremonious proceeding, SPL Darren Brumit ordered the color guard, the Legionnaires, to, “Retrieve the old colors”. Commander Leroy Cason and American Legionnaires, Wayne Leshe and Jasper Northcutt, retrieved the U.S. flag from the pole in front of the old cotton gin and posted the fresh colors.

Scout Master Gene Carista delivered a “reflection on the Pledge of Allegiance” which gave more meaning to the words that we often repeat. Afterwards, SPL Darren Brumit led the crowd in reciting the pledge and Kenneth Cason led the crowd in the National Anthem. Benny Hanks emceed the program and SPL Darren Brumit took charge of the flag retirement ceremony, acting also as Fire Marshall for the blaze.

The U.S. Flag Code states, "The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning". Accordingly, Scout Troop 393 prepared a fire pit for the retirement ceremony.

The American Legion Color Guard carried out the somber process of cutting the field of stars from the red and white stripes, thereby rendering it, “no longer a flag”. As the separated pieces of cloth were committed to the fire, Scout Kolt Culberson played “Taps.”

The pieces of cloth were thoroughly burned, leaving nothing recognizable as a flag. Then the ashes were buried, to remain in the pit forever.

The somberness of the ceremony was an emotional moment, as those attending reflected on the precious symbol that our nation has worked for, lived for, and died for--a nation of free men and women, true to the faith of the past, devoted to the ideals and practice of justice, freedom and democracy for the future.

The week before the ceremony, crisp, new state flags had replaced the old, tattered symbols around the monument. However, before the bright new flags could rightfully take the place of the faded emblems, the 26 state flag poles with the new flags flying, were all lowered to half mast in preparation for the flag retirement ceremony.

The order of the state flags retired was according to the year in which the state joined the National Farmers Union. APL Scout Nate Carista had the task of delegating the flag ordinance. Scouts John Feistner, Jared Brumit and Gonzalo Fernandez took turns in reciting the attributes of each state flag. Scouts Keith Trudeau, Houston Harrigan, Dakota Hernandez, Austin Johnson, Alex Golden, and Kolt Culberson respectfully stretched out the tattered piece and solemnly committed them to the fire one at a time. As the flag burned in the fire pit, Assistant Scout Master Jim Feistner raised the flagpole carrying the brightly colored replacement flag. Anyone in the crowd who is from the state being presented stood up. With Texas as the first member state of the National Farmers Union, the Texas flag was the first state flags to be retired. Everyone in the crowd stood up during this proceeding and the Pledge of Allegiance to the State of Texas was recited.

After the state flags were retired, new state flags were hoisted over the monument. The newest chapter, New England Farmers Union, brought six new states to the National Farmers Union organization. With the adoption of NEFU’s charter , the state flags of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island were honored with their state flags being hoisted over the monument. A team from the Point Volunteer Fire Department hoisted the colors on new flagpoles. The team, headed by Fire Chief Richard Ainsworth, included Assistant Fire Chief Tommy Fry, Charlie Rhodes, William Jessup, Jonathan Rhodes, and William Haas.

Congressman Hall stated that it was his first time to witness a flag retirement ceremony that had so much attention to detail and meaning and he joined everyone in the crowd in expressing their appreciation to the team of the Boy Scouts of Local Troop 393, the American Legion and the Point Volunteer Fire Department for such as exquisite ceremony, and the exemplary organization and leadership of Scout Master Gene Carista in putting together the whole proceedings.

Texas Farmers Union President Wes Sims and his wife, Latria, drove from Sweetwater, Texas to attend the occasion. Sims addressed the crowd with his remarks "The nation’s farmers are probably the hardest of workers, and the greatest producers of food-stuff in the world. The family farm is the core of agriculture; however, it is rapidly disappearing from the rural scene.

"NFU continues its original mission to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers and ranchers and their rural communities," Sims added. "We believe that consumers and producers can work together to promote a quality domestic supply of safe food."

Jim Painter, Rains County Farmers Union President, closed the meeting citing some interesting facts about American workers and their productivity rate as compared to the rest of the world. “The American worker belongs to the most productive workforce in the world, besting the second place nation by leaps and bounds. The individual worker produces more value, per capita, than any other country’s worker.”

After the ceremonies, the crowd gathered at the Cotton Pickin’ Theatre for a reception prepared by the members of POINT. Also in attendance was Pat Shipman, a descendant of one of the founding fathers of the NFU, Jesse Adams.

The NFU Memorial Monument is a project of the POINT organization. It is a tribute to the founding fathers of the organization and the labor of all the small family farmers and ranchers in the nation.