National Veterans Resource Center provides space for proper flag disposal

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Syracuse University alum and U.S. Army veteran Issak Hernandez took inspiration from his membership in the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization to propose installing a U.S. flag retirement station in the National Veterans Resource Center.

Hernandez, who works in the SU’s Office of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation, pitched the idea to his department leadership and later saw it implemented in June. Saturday was the first Veterans Day with a working flag retirement station at the NVRC, which allows anyone to properly dispose of worn-out U.S. flags, according to U.S. Flag Code standards.

“There was not a retirement station that was readily accessible to the community, so I saw that there was a need and really just we tried to fill that,” Hernandez said.

Veterans of Foreign Wars, a nonprofit service organization that connects veterans, has posts worldwide with flag retirement centers inside, which Hernandez took inspiration from for SU.

The flag retirement process is similar to a book return at the library, where anyone from the Syracuse community can come and place their old flag into the station without any other interactions.

Adam Hepburn, SU’s executive director of operations, strategic initiatives and innovation, said that the station is open to all. The station holds a plaque on top, summarizing the history of the U.S. flag in hopes that its users recognize the importance of flag disposal.

“It’s a convenient, secure place on campus where the campus communities, students, faculty and staff can bring a flag that’s become old, worn, or tattered, and have confidence that it would be disposed of properly,” Hepburn said.

Hepburn said the station was created in hopes that people would become acquainted with the flag’s history, especially as it is located a walkable distance from campus.

For Maddie Eby, a freshman Army ROTC student studying writing and rhetoric, the station provides an opportunity for many to learn about the retirement process and its significance.

“Not many people know about the process of retiring a flag and when it should be done, so it’s not only a great place for people to bring flags… but a great way to teach people about it,” Eby said.

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There are similar stations in American Legion Posts throughout central New York, including several in the Syracuse area. The NVRC took inspiration from these stations, Hepburn said. Hernandez said the NVRC kept accessibility in mind while creating the space so that SU students, faculty and staff or others in the nearby community don’t need a car to visit.

Previously, the NVRC would accept calls to pick up old flags and help facilitate their disposal. Since the opening of the station in June, Hepburn said dozens of flags have been collected and disposed of properly.

Under U.S. Flag Code, flags no longer fit to be displayed should be “destroyed in a dignified way,” usually by burning, which ensures it won’t become more worn out and put in the trash. Eby says having access to the station on campus is important for students, especially with the large veteran and military presence at SU.

“With the ROTC program here at Syracuse and the VA being as close as it is to campus, having the American flag flown in good shape and with pride isn’t something to take lightly,” Eby said.

Hernandez said he hopes the flag retirement station invites others to use the building more often.

“A lot of people look at the NVRC as just being the veterans building, but it’s a building for the community of Syracuse,” Hernandez said. “If someone has a flag and they’re not as comfortable going into the building, they should feel more than free to go and retire their flag.”