By Nick Buglione
Appalled at the condition of some of the American flags that have gone up in recent years, members of East Meadow VFW Post 2736 have been on a crusade to convince residents to respectfully take down tattered flags, even setting up a place where the Stars and Stripes can be deposited for proper disposal.
People were scared out of their pants because of 9/11 and they became patriots, and afterward they couldn-t care less, said Otto Jensen, an East Meadow resident and World War II veteran.
Jensen said following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, flags went up on lampposts around East Meadow, as residents were caught up in the swell of patriotism.
And there they flew for the next three years, as the weather and passage of time wore out the fabric. They look like rags up there, Jensen said. I-ve seen battle flags that don-t look that bad.
It hurts Jensen and other veterans see the flag being treated that way, he said. It feels like people couldn-t give a damn about their country or fellow people, he said. This country gave you something, the least you could do is honor it.
In an effort to encourage proper disposal of the American flag, the East Meadow VFW recently fashioned a receptacle out of an old mailbox where residents can drop off tattered or torn flags.
According to protocol, the proper way to dispose an American flag is to burn it. Though residents can burn it themselves, it-s preferable that a veterans- organization carry it out, said Sal Pellegrino, commander of the East Meadow VFW. A flag should never be thrown out, he said.
We wanted to give people a place to dispose the flags, Pellegrino said, so the American flag is not being discarded in the wrong way.
We like to see people fly the American flag, but we like to see the American flag flown the right way, he continued. The flag [should not be flown when] it is shredded. When they start to shred, they should be replaced.
Once the veterans created the drop box, they had a difficult time finding someone who would permit them to put it on their property, Pellegrino said. Eventually the Town of Hempstead agreed to let them put it in Veterans Memorial Park.
It-s been there since late November, and residents have already started making use of it. When Pellegrino made his first pick up in January, he said about 25 flags were in there, which he properly disposed.
The East Meadow VFW is currently working on creating a second box for another location in the neighborhood, Jensen said. He added that the organization recently spoke with the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce about the condition of the flags it put up along East Meadow Avenue, and the chamber has agreed to replace them.
The flag disposal box is painted white and blue and is located right in front of the entrance to the park pool. Veterans Memorial Park is at the corner of East Meadow and Prospect avenues. Pellegrino intends to step up pickups in the summertime, when the park is busier.
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
