Mail box becomes retired U.S. flag box

Mail box becomes retired U.S. flag box

While flipping through a past issue of American Legion Magazine, Vice Commander Steve Winter of American Legion Post 66 in Hiawatha, Kan., read an article on how a Pennsylvania post turned a U.S. post-office box into an unserviceable U.S. flag-drop box. Winter decided to create one for his local community.

Winter acquired an unused U.S. post-office box from a government surplus store. He then sanded, painted and wrote Post 66’s name on it. Post 66 received permission to install the retired flag-drop box in a high-traffic, secure location: the Brown County Court House.

Within the first three weeks of its installation, 75 torn and faded flags were collected. The post plans to conduct formal flag retirement ceremony’s with the flags collected.

"Our county is a small farm community but proud of our current and former servicemen and women," said Post 66 Commander Michael Mendez. "For us veterans, our community leaders continuously demonstrate the traits and characteristics that make our nation what it is today."