East Hall NJROTC to hold first-ever flag retirement ceremony

For the first time since the inception of the Navy Junior ROTC program at East Hall High School, the student cadets will hold a formal American flag retirement ceremony, and the public is invited to attend.  

1st Sgt. David Leach, the Naval Science Instructor at East Hall, said his students have been learning this school year about the symbolism of the American flag and proper flag protocol. 

"This year our cadets have been learning about patriotism and the symbols of our country and the importance of them and we also covered some important things about the national flag and what it symbolizes," Leach said. "Some of the kids were curious about how to properly dispose of the flag."

Leach said his previous experience as a Marine instructor in Mississippi gave him the opportunity to conduct a flag retirement ceremony on more than one occasion, and when he explained how it was done, the students at East Hall wanted to conduct one, as well.

Ensign Amy White is the Executive Officer for the company, and she said she and her fellow cadets are familiar with the proper handling and storage of the flag, since they raise and lower the flag each school day at EHHS. This year, they learned how to properly dispose of a worn flag and they wanted to share that knowledge with the community.

"There are a lot of people who think 'let's just throw it away' without realizing there are certain things you have to go through and dispose of it properly - a lot of people don't know that," White said. 

The ceremony itself involves one flag, but the cadets have been collecting worn flags from around the community and those will be properly disposed of after the formal ceremony.

Lt. Commander Erin Hood, the Company Commander for the program, said even though the ceremony is coming up Thursday night, it's not too late for people to donate old flags for disposal.

"We've had a good amount of flags be dropped [off]," Hood said. "The community can [still] bring their flags to the front office of East Hall High School. We have a box for flags in the lobby, and if you can't find it, you can ask the staff there and they'll help you find that. They can also call East Hall High School at 770-536-9921, ext. 1314 and ask for Naval Science Instructor 1st Sgt. David Leach and we will help you take up that flag."

The cadets also made it a point to invite area veterans to the Thursday night ceremony, according to Chief Logan Shook, the Command Master Chief for the company.

"We really want to thank our veterans for their service, for giving us the gift of freedom, for giving to a cause greater than themselves," Shook said. "Our veterans have sacrificed so much in order to allow us to live in this great country and that's the main reason we really wanted them to come."

Even if a veteran did not receive a specific invitation to attend the ceremony on Thursday, any veteran is welcome to show up as an honored guest, according to the cadets.

The East Hall High School NJROTC program is made of of 70 cadets in grades 9 through 12. 1st Sgt. Leach said while the company is a program that functions under the Hall County School District umbrella, it is a program that relies on outside donations for additional equipment and field trips for the student cadets. To that end, donations will be accepted specifically for the NJROTC at EHHS.