Ben Hoenich noticed a problem. The Masonic Village at Elizabethtown resident knew people throughout the retirement community had old flags that should be retired, but they didn't have easy access to a place to drop them off. "I thought it would be convenient to have a drop box somewhere in the village," he said. He designed one, which now resides inside the entrance to the cultural center, and the response from other residents was overwhelming. "In just about six months to a year, I got well over 500 to 600 flags," he recalled.
As the flags were collecting, he thought it was the perfect opportunity to connect the project to the greater community. "We try to do things here that involve the community, and I thought this was a great way to show people, both the community and residents, the proper way to retire a flag," he stated. So Hoenich organized a traditional flag retirement ceremony on June 25 at Masonic Village, in the parking lot of the Brossman Ballroom.
Hoenich, a retired Army sergeant, belongs to the Harrisburg Chapter 76 of the National Sojourners, a Masonic organization of military members that aims to foster appreciation of the American heritage of freedom. Members of the group, along with York Camp - Heroes of '76, led the ceremony in full colonial uniform. "We had close to 100 people attend the ceremony," Hoenich recalled, including a Marine in a wheelchair who had a chance to retire a Marine flag. "There was nothing more moving that seeing that," Hoenich noted. Members of the community, including Elizabethtown Mayor Chuck Mummert and Mike Rowe, executive director of Masonic Village, also participated in the ceremony. "People came forward and stood at the mic and said who they were retiring the flag on behalf of," Hoenich explained. "In the end, we probably had close to 750 flags retired in total."
Vet 21 Salute Honor Guard from Lancaster demonstrated the proper way to fold a flag, gave honors with taps and gave a three-volley salute. "They were in full uniform," Hoenich said. "I tried to bring in as many people and groups from the community as I could."
Hoenich said his next goal is to raise funds for a permanent flag retirement site on the Masonic Village property, so ceremonies can be held regularly. "The ceremony is a way of honoring our flag and remembering why we're all here," he stated. "It's an excellent opportunity to teach the younger ones - and some of the more mature ones as well - the reason we have a flag and what it means to our country."
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