OLD GLORY LAID TO REST

AMVETS, POSTAL SERVICE HOLD FLAG RETIREMENT

LOUISVILLE, KY – The Okolona Post Office and AMVETS are teaming up for their annual American flag retirement ceremony this weekend.

The event gets underway at 3 p.m., Saturday, June 13 at AMVETS Post 61, 9405 Smyrna Road. It is expected to last approximately three hours.

In 2008, AMVETS retired more than 1,500 flags. This year, the group expects to receive between 500 and 1,000 flags for retirement.

“Before we began the program, there was a real need in the community to respectfully retire flags that could no longer be flown because they were torn or faded,” said USPS Supervisor Julie Waters. “We met with AMVETS’ officials and together we hold a flag retirement every year on Flag Day.”

The event started in 2004 by then Okolona Station Manager Richard Curtsinger. Since then, more than 3,500 flags have been retired.

Anyone wishing to retire a worn or torn flag should send it to:

Okolona Post Office
c/o Julie Waters
7400 Jefferson Blvd.
Louisville, KY 40219

Only American flags will be accepted, and they must arrive no later than Friday, June 12.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.