The Gilbert American Legion Post 927 celebrated Flag Day with a ceremony Saturday.

Post officers and Boy Scouts were involved with the tradition of cutting the stripes of the American Flag to burn in a fire pit, celebrating what the flag represents symbolically.

“Each strip we cut represents the 13 original colonies. The white stands for purity. The red stands for courage,” Post Commander Danny Insalata said as he conducted the ceremony. “If our country is worth dying for in time of war, let us resolve it is truly worth living for in time of peace.”

Emily Schaff, who is part of the National Guard, said, “It’s just all the people over the years that have accumulated flags that have ripped, and the proper way is to burn them. The flag represents to me the country, everyone coming together.”

Insalata said he is in the honor guard, so he runs a number of funerals for the legion. To him, the flag carried a heavy weight.

“A lot of people are like, “How much does that flag weigh?” Usual answers are about 2 pounds. No, the whole weight of the nation. That’s how much the flag ways,” Insalata said. “It’s a symbol of freedom.”

Insalata was happy to have the Boy Scouts participate in the event. He explained how it is a way for them to understand and to respect the flag, and to understand what each color represents symbolically. He also talked about the possibility of some of them being future soldiers.

“The flag to me is that I’d fight for it and die for it today,” Insalata said.

Gary Spears, judge advocate for Post 927, was responsible for extinguishing the fires once the ceremony was finished.

“This is very humbling,” Spears said. “I’m very proud to be part of this. It makes my heart full.

Like Insalata, Spears also stressed the importance of getting the Boy Scouts involved with the ceremony.

“It’s about honoring our veterans that have fallen, our veterans that have served, and everybody else who is a patriot,” Spears said. “Sometimes you can be a patriot and not necessarily have to wear the uniform.”

Spears missed the Memorial Day ceremony at Post 927 this year to participate in Rolling Thunder in Washington D.C. He was glad to share Flag Day with his fellow commanding officers.

“I’m proud to be a veteran. I’m very proud to belong to Post 927 here. I’m proud to be an active member and a service officer. I serve with some of the best guys. We sync together,” Spears said.