The University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health is adding a U.S. flag retirement kiosk outside its headquarters in Hazard. Josh Adams is the center’s rural outreach coordinator and a Navy veteran. He said when staff visited the 32 counties in their coverage area, they noticed there weren’t many places where someone could drop a flag off to be disposed of properly.
“We needed somewhere that, you know, that was open to the community to be able to do it any time of day. Because, you know, every now and then we'd seen them in a courthouse, but, you know, courthouse is only open, you know, certain hours a day.”
Doctor Fran Feltner, the center’s director, said she’s the mother of several veterans.
“Each time that my children have been overseas in service, I have flown a flag in their honor, and when they came back home, out of harm's way, the flag was retired in their honor and memory of the service that they provided our country.”
The center is partnering with a Boy Scout troop in Floyd County to see that the worn flags are retired respectfully and according to the U.S. Flag Code.
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