UNITED for the City, a youth outreach program at Elkdale Baptist Church, brought together several veterans’ associations on Monday morning for a flag celebration and retirement ceremony at R.B. Hudson Middle School.

Representatives from Boy Scout Troops 30 and 98, American Legion Posts 20 and 234, Selma Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disable American Veterans (DAV), Selma African American Ministerial Alliance, WoodmenLife and R.B. Hudson students participated in the ceremony to retire the flag atop the pole in front of the school.

Elkdale Baptist Youth Pastor, UNITED for the City Co-Founder and Alabama Army National Guard Veteran Officer Jonathan “JB” Brown led the morning’s ceremony.

Brown said the ceremony was held in order to bring the community together and instill a sense of patriotism in young citizens.

“We need to show the next generation that we need to be proud,” said Brown. “We don’t need to take for granted the freedoms we have.”

After the flag was lowered, four veterans, including Brown, cut the worn flag into pieces so it could be honorably burned.

After the old flag was burned, a new flag, donated by WoodmenLife, was raised,

“Patriotism is one of our shared commitments,” said WoodmenLife Community Outreach Advisor Ashley N. Pruitt. “This is something we’re [WoodmenLife] doing across the nation this quarter.”

Another organization that participated in Monday’s ceremony, The Boy Scouts, also believe in patriotism.

“We have a national patriotism that no other country has,” said Leith Wilson, Boy Scouts of America Crane District Senior Executive. “You don’t realize that until you go somewhere else in the world.”