St. Johns County in Florida recently hit a major milestone, saving the 20,000th American flag from ending up in landfills. The county's American Flag Rescue Program began in 2019 with the goal to ensure that flags are retired honorably. According to a St. Johns County release, the program enables community members to properly dispose of their worn flags, which are then included in formal decommissioning ceremonies.
The landmark flag was collected at a local Home Depot, emphasizing the home improvement retailer's commitment to the program and a shared value system rooted deeply in respecting the American emblem, especially considering many of its associates have military backgrounds. "Tens of thousands of Home Depot associates are veterans or military family members," Haley Weaver, Senior Manager of Military Relations at The Home Depot, told St. Johns County. "Playing a role in the American Flag Rescue Program is deeply personal to us and rooted in our values and longstanding commitment to these communities." The program has rapidly grown to save roughly 9,000 flags in just one year, now boasting over 35 drop-off locations county-wide.
The initiative was sparked after Chris Benjamin, Outreach Coordinator for St. Johns County, witnessed American flags thrown away at a county landfill. This led to the launch of the pilot program, which began with a few collection boxes donated by WSOS radio station owner Kevin Geddings. "It is humbling to see the community rally together as Americans and save 20,000 flags from the trash in less than 6 years," Benjamin remarked in an interview with St. Johns County.
Drop-off points for the flags include branches of the St. Johns County Public Library System, various county facilities, and all Ace Hardware stores within the area. VFW Post 2391 in St. Augustine is responsible for the decommissioning ceremonies, with retired veterans playing a vital role in monitoring and maintaining collections. "With so many locations for the community to drop off their flags, every day is Flag Day in St. Johns County," Benjamin proudly stated to St. Johns County, reflecting the program's impact and the community's participation in sustaining the tradition of honoring the American flag.
