Eight years ago, Wright City Parks Director Curt Kehoe had an idea to collect flags from individuals, businesses and organizations and retire them based on official military standards. From a handful of old flags back then and a few local Boy Scouts to help properly retire the flags by respectably burning them, Kehoe has watched the program evolve into a highly anticipated annual event. This year, nearly 250 American flags were collected throughout the year from people near and far. An exciting recent development has been the inclusion of stars from the flags in parcels from Patriotic Packages which are sent to members of the U.S. Armed Forces serving overseas. The stars are sent as emblems of support from home. Combat soldiers wear the stars on their flak vests or keep them in their pockets as good luck charms.

Diekroeger Park Ceremony At a ceremony held last Saturday at Diekroeger Park, Kehoe and staff were joined by scores of Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies, 4-H members, sponsors, parents and other community members to help respectfully dispose of the flags. “I love the way this program is growing,” Kehoe told the crowd. Kehoe said he was especially pleased to have help with the moving patriotic readings which “I sometimes have a hard time getting through without a few tears.” By presidential proclamation, the nation celebrates Flag Day June 14, and the week beginning June 9 as National Flag Week. The proclamation posted on the White House website reads: “Each June, our nation lifts its sights to the flag that has watched over us since the days of our founding. In those broad stripes and bright stars, we see the arc of the American story — from a handful of colonies to 50 States, united and free. “When proud patriots took up the fight for independence, they came together under a standard that showed their common cause,” the proclamation continues. “When the wounds of civil war were still fresh and our country walked the long road to reconstruction, our people found hope in a banner that testified to the strength of our union. Wherever our American journey has taken us, whether on that unending path to the mountaintop or high above into the reaches of space, Old Glory has followed, reminding us of the rights and responsibilities we share as citizens.” At the Diekroeger Park observance, a color guard marched in to the music of “She’s a Grand Old Flag,” kicking off the ceremony with a patriotic tone that carried through the national anthem and Pledge of Allegiance to the individual retirement of each flag. As Boy Scouts took down and folded the park flag as the first to be retired, Girl Scouts read aloud what each of the folds represents. An explanation of the colors, as well as the stars and stripes of the flag, also was read. Scouts prepared each flag for individual retirement, placing each one in a specially constructed fire pit manufactured and donated by Mittler Brothers and Eagle Scout Scott Bruning. The unit includes a small trailer to make it easy for the ashes to be transported to a special memorial garden in the park where they are buried. Bruning also worked on the memorial garden.

Patriot Packages Veteran Robert Braendle told the crowd that Warren County-based Patriot Packages sends parcels to deployed men and women in 135 countries, shipping from the Warrenton Armory. In addition to stars, items shipped include canned meat, popcorn, Slim Jims, snack bars, chewing gum, socks and letters from home and the community. The group focuses on soldiers from the Warrenton-Wright City area, but will ship to anyone who makes a request. Braendle said that he had an email that day from a soldier in Afghanistan requesting a Patriot Package. “Company commanders have embraced them for morale and soldiers embrace them because they see that people at home remember them and have their back,” said Braendle. He read a letter from one soldier, who wrote, “I’ve been in three firefights and haven’t been touched. I’m keeping this star for good luck.”