DEAR ABBY: Can you tell me how to mend an American flag? Ours is badly torn in two places. We put it up shortly after Sept. 11 and have flown it on its brass flagpole ever since. We want to treat it with respect, but don't know if there is a specific protocol. Please help. -- PATRIOTS IN CARBONDALE, ILL.
DEAR PATRIOTS: When a flag is damaged or faded, it should be retired and replaced. According to the American Legion Flag Etiquette brochure: "When a flag has served its useful purpose, it should be destroyed, preferably by burning. For individual citizens this should be done discreetly so that the act of destruction is not perceived as a protest or desecration."
Many American Legion Posts conduct Disposal of Unserviceable Flag ceremonies on June 14, Flag Day, each year. There is a Web site: www.legion.org. (Click on "Our Flag.") This ceremony provides a dignified and solemn way of disposing of unserviceable flags.