Purcell 3rd Annual Flag Day set to honor Veterans June 14
PURCELL, Okla. (KFOR) – The 3rd Annual Flag Retirement Ceremony is set to return to Purcell, Oklahoma June 14, honoring veterans and celebrating the values of the American flag.
According to Waggoner-Trimble American Legion Post 12 leaders, attendees can expect a complimentary pancake breakfast, children's patriotic activities, and a formal flag retirement ceremony.
'This ceremony is about more than retiring flags; it's about honoring what they represent,' said Jennifer Wheeler, Adjutant of Waggoner-Trimble American Legion Post 12 and a veteran. 'We invite fellow veterans, civic leaders, and Oklahoma families to join us in showing the next generation what respect, service, and patriotism truly look like.'
The Flag Retirement Ceremony in partnership with the Keyes Family seeks to raise awareness in upholding the values of duty, honor, and respect with this year's theme: 'Honor the Flag. Teach the Next Generation. Stand with Those Who Served Under It.'
Enid free pop-up medical clinic kicks off July 12-13
WHENSaturday, June 14, 2025
8:00 AM – Arrival and fellowship
9:00–10:00 AM – Pancake breakfast
10:00 AM – Flag Retirement Ceremony begins
WHEREKeyes Family Farm25249 Johnson AvenuePurcell, OK
The event is open to the public.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Stewart Wingate confirmed the Boeing 787-8 plane was en route from Ahmedabad Airport to London Gatwick when it crashed on Thursday. Mr Wingate said London Gatwick was 'very saddened to hear about the accident' and added 'our thoughts are with the family and friends of those on board'. 'We can confirm flight AI171 that was involved in an accident shortly after departure from Ahmedabad Airport on 12 June was due to land at London Gatwick,' he said in a post on X. 'London Gatwick is liaising closely with Air India and a reception centre for relatives of those on board is available with information and support.' A woman missed the doomed Air India flight by 10 minutes because she got stuck in traffic. Bhoomi Chauhan was returning to London, where she lives with her husband, after visiting India on holiday. She had tickets for Air India 171 but arrived ten minutes after boarding had finished, because of heavy traffic in Ahmedabad, and was denied entry onto the aircraft. Ms Chauhan admitted that while she was initially 'upset' about the airport staff's decision, she now feels that she was 'saved' by one of the gods in the Hindu faith. She told Indian broadcaster NDTV: 'I got late because I was stuck in traffic. 'I was upset [after being denied boarding] and reached the airport exit when I learnt the plane had crashed. My Ganpati ji [a deity in Hinduism] saved me.' More from Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole British survivor of the Air India crash. He told Indian state broadcaster DD News: 'I don't believe how I survived. For some time I thought I was also going to die,' he said. 'But when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape from where I could. It was in front of my eyes that the air hostess and others [died]'. Mr Ramesh said the plane appeared to come to a standstill in mid-air for a few seconds shortly after take-off and the green and white cabin lights were turned on. The sole British survivor of the Air India plane crash said he walked out of a broken emergency exit after the aircraft hit a medical college hostel in the city of Ahmedabad. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was filmed after Thursday's crash limping on the street in a blood-stained T-shirt with bruises on his face. Earlier this morning, the 40-year-old told Indian state broadcaster DD News from his hospital bed: 'The side of the plane I was in landed on the ground, and I could see that there was space outside the aircraft, so when my door broke I tried to escape through it and I did. 'The opposite side of the aircraft was blocked by the building wall so nobody could have come out of there.' Viswashkumar said he walked out of the crash site with only burn injuries on his left arm. Almost 70 per cent of the passengers on the 787 aircraft were found in their seats wearing seatbelts, an Indian first responder has said. Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state police officer, told the Indian Express: 'Almost 70% of the passengers were found in their seats, most of them had their seatbelts on', the police officer said. The sole surviving passenger from the Air India crash said the lights on the plane 'started flickering' before the aircraft hit the ground. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, told the Hindustan Times: 'When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. 'Suddenly, the lights started flickering - green and white - then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there.' Mr Ramesh, who was sat in seat 11a next to an emergency exit, told the newspaper the section of the plane he was in landed on the ground, rather than hitting the roof of a building. 'When I saw the exit, I thought I could come out. I tried, and I did. Maybe the people who were on the other side of the plane weren't able to,' he said. He added: 'I don't know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes - the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me ... I walked out of the rubble.' All seven of the families of the Portuguese victims live in the UK, Max Stephens writes. Five are registered at the consulate in London and two in Manchester, Portugal's ministry of foreign affairs said. The ministry said in a statement: 'So far it has been possible to determine that none of the Portuguese nationals have family living in Portugal'. Of the seven citizens with a Portuguese passport, five are registered at the consulate in London and two in Manchester, it added. The note added: 'At this moment, family members are on their way to the morgues to identify the bodies.' The Portuguese consulates contacted the relatives residing in the United Kingdom and made themselves available to provide any necessary support, it said. The Air India disaster in which a plane crashed moments after take-off in Ahmedabad is the first time that a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner has been involved in a fatal accident. However, the aircraft has been beset by problems since entering service in 2011. Read why here. Nirali Sureshkumar Patel, a dentist from Mississauga, Ontario, has been identified as the single Canadian victim killed in the disaster, Max Stephens writes. Mrs Patel worked at the Heritage Dental Centre and was the mother to a one-year-old child. Her husband told Canada Press: That was my wife. I am not in a state to speak right now.' 'She was very nice. She was very gentle, but this is not a good time, another family member said. City Coun. Natalie Hart said in tribute: 'I'm deeply saddened to learn that Dr. Patel, a dentist who practised in Ward 5, has been identified as a victim of the Air India tragedy.' 'My prayers are with her loved ones and everyone in our community that will be mourning her.' 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An Air India flight from Phuket in Thailand to India's capital New Delhi received an onboard bomb threat on Friday and made an emergency landing on the island, airport authorities said. All 156 passengers on flight AI 379 had been escorted from the plane, in line with emergency plans, an Airports of Thailand official said. The aircraft took off from Phuket airport bound for the Indian capital at 9.30 a.m. (0230 GMT) on Friday, but made a wide loop around the Andaman Sea and landed back on the southern Thai island, according to flight tracker Flightradar24. AOT did not provide details on the bomb threat. Air India did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Indian airlines and airports were inundated with hoax bomb threats last year, with nearly 1,000 hoax calls and messages received in the first 10 months, nearly 10 times that of 2023. One of two black boxes from the plane had been found, Indian newspaper the Hindustan Times has reported. Reuters could not verify the report and the paper did not say whether the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder had been recovered. The CEO of Air India visited the site of the crash earlier this morning. Campbell Wilson refused to answer questions from reporters when he attended the site. On Thursday, the New Zealander expressed his 'deep sorrow' over the tragedy, adding that the airline's efforts were 'focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones'. Credit: X/PTI_News Here's everything that's happened so far: Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, visited the scene of the crash in Ahmedabad, India The British sole survivor of the crash, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, is recovering in hospital saying he has 'no idea' how he survived Families have been giving DNA samples to help identify the victims All but one of the 242 passengers on board the flight died, but it's unknown how many died on the ground of the residential area where it crashed Their remains are still being recovered from the crash, with reports saying 81 bodies have been recovered so far Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
