An estimated 4,000 American flags were gathered, sorted and — in what would be a shocking image without proper context — ceremonially burned in the fire pit at Pete Sepe Pavilion on Monday evening in Warren.

The exact opposite of what your mind might normally associate with the burning of a flag, the annual retirement of colors ceremony in Warren actually provides the only approved method for proper disposal of an American Flag, as outlined in the United States Flag Code.

“The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”

A group of volunteers from the American Legion Post 18 of Portsmouth and American Legion Post 104 of Warren, Unit #11, Warren’s Boy Scout Troop 25, the Warren Vietnam Veterans Association, and the American Legion Auxiliary gathered to help sort dozens of boxes of flags that had been dropped off throughout the year. The volunteer Warren Fire Department was on scene with a truck as a safety precaution.

Flags made of burnable materials, such as cotton, were slated for the burn pit, while synthetic materials such as nylon were put aside. Non-burnable flags are sent to veterans cemeteries to be ceremonially buried.

With a squeeze of lighter fluid and the striking of a match, Vietnam veteran and Warren Honor Roll Committee Chairman Dave McCarthy ignited the pit. Prior to the burning, a short ceremony talked about the significance of the flag retirement ceremony.

“These flags have done their work,” said David Duggan, Commander of American Legion Post 18. “They have been a silent witness to the freedom we have in this country — the home of the brave.”