RESPECTFUL FAREWELL TO GRAND OLD FLAG; SIMI ELKS CEREMONY DISPOSES OF STARS, STRIPES.

Byline: Kevin F. Sherry Daily News Staff Writer

With a burst of flame and a column of smoke an American flag was retired Sunday.

Simi Valley Elks Lodge 2492 burned the worn-out flag as it dedicated its new burning pit designed specifically for such a purpose.

``It provides the respect that our flag has earned,'' said Marine Corps veteran and Elks member Greg Marshall, who has spent the past 2-1/2 years designing and coordinating the 2-foot-deep cement burning pit.

Marshall first came up with the idea of a flag-burning chamber in August 1995.

``There is nothing here (for burning),'' he said. ``I don't know of any place available.''

The Simi Valley burning pit is the county's latest attempt to deal with the issue of how to respectfully dispose of flags while remaining environmentally safe.

Members of a Boy Scout troop read to the crowd information about the flag's history and care.

The presentation included a demonstration about how to properly fold a flag.

When the Scouts were finished, one boy unfurled the old, tattered flag that had flown above the Elks lodge and another doused it with diesel fuel.

The flag was then set on fire and left to burn in the lodge's flag-burning concrete chamber.

The Elks chose diesel fuel because it burns hot and long and leaves no remnants of the flag material, Marshall said. As the flag burned, smoke drifted above the crowd.

``It has been sent the world over to fly freely and proudly with representatives of our country,'' Marshall said. ``It is a living symbol of our nation.''

The burning pit sits capped with a stone and accompanies a headstone that marks the ``grave site'' of all the flags that will be destroyed there.

In July, Ventura American Legion Post 339 came under attack from the Air Pollution Control District because of the toxins released into the air from the burning of flag materials.

Some groups, like the Thousand Oaks Elks Lodge, have taken to having their flags burned at area crematoriums, which are designed to process natural and synthetic fibers.

But Marshall said he expects he will not have much of a problem with his new burning pit. With just a few burning ceremonies each year, the pit will likely produce fewer toxins than the average bus, he said.

The Simi Valley Elks' next flag-burning ceremony is scheduled for Memorial Day.

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3 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) (Ran in Simi Edition only) The crowd pledges allegiance, left, at the event, while Jason Rhoades, left, Greg Marshall and Chris Soltis burn a worn flag Sunday, above.

(2-3--Color in Simi Edition only) Elks member Greg Marshall, left, and Wayne Myers demonstrate proper flag folding Sunday.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News