VETERANS CONDUCT FLAG RETIREMENT CEREMONY ON ALABAMA CAMPUS

In remembrance of the 73rd D-Day anniversary, more than 300 young women witnessed a traditional flag retirement ceremony on the University of Alabama campus.

Members of the Alabama Girls State lined the steps of Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library and watched the ceremony on the quad Tuesday evening. The ceremony started with Girls State members singing patriotic songs.

U.S. veterans burned a weathered American flag to ashes — the official way of retiring an American flag. The girls said they were excited and grateful to be a part of the event.

“Really to see these veterans come out and to do something like this is something that you wouldn’t get to experience anywhere else and I think it’s great to be a part of this,” said Alabama Girls State member Alyssa Goodwin.

The United States Flag Code states that the preferred method of disposal for a flag is to burn it to ashes. If burning a flag is not possible, it may be buried as long as the ceremony is carried out with dignity and respect.