Hundreds of Flags Honorably Retired in Inaugural Ceremony

A plume of gray smoke billowed up into the air Saturday morning, Nov. 8, as city leaders and residents gathered at Hermosa Cemetery in Colton to honorably retire hundreds of United States flags during the first annual Citywide Flag Retirement. The first-time ceremony came on the heels of the Nov. 4 midterm elections, the weekend before the United States Marine Corps (USMC) celebrated its 239th anniversary Nov. 10 and before residents nationwide honored veterans of all wars on Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11. "It seemed like the perfect time to do it," said David Finch, Hermosa Cemetery General Manager. Co-sponsored by Stater Bros., the American Legion Post 155 in Colton and American Legion Post 262 in Fontana, the City of Colon and the Girl Scouts of America, 250 flags were gathered and retired in a traditional flag burning ceremony, explained Finch. "Title 4 of the U.S. Code, Chapter 1, Paragraph 8 covers respect for the flag," said Finch. "Section K says, 'The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.' We read that, because unlike some of the bad guys out there who want to burn the flag out of disrespect, we were doing it out of respect." The ceremony saw participation from several city officials, community groups and members. Colton City Council Members David Toro, Frank Navarro and Frank Gonzales were present and participated in the ceremony, explained Finch. Colton Fire Captain Con Cendejas and the department's Memorial Honor Detail were also present, with Deacon Jim Gray from The Well Church singing the National Anthem, the invocation led by ARMC Chaplain Doug Duke and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Kayleigh Ballman of Girl Scouts Troop 593. Hermosa Cemetery's Robert Young, a veteran and the cemetery's service arranger, officiated as the event's emcee. Following Saturday's ceremony, a barbecue sponsored by Stater Bros. was held in celebration. Finch said that the event will continue on in the future. "In the past, people were bringing their flags to multiple locations, like the fire department, but we will do this again next year," Finch said. "People may deliver flags that are fit for retirement to us and we will store them." Inland Memorial Inc., the parent company of Hermosa Cemetery, has five offices: in Colton, the Hermosa Gardens Cemetery, in Riverside, Upland and Murrieta. The Colton office and Hermosa Gardens Cemetery is located at 900 North Meridian Avenue in Colton. Next year's ceremony will once again take place the Saturday before Veteran's Day.