COEUR d'ALENE - Solemn and serious, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889 Junior Vice Commander Brian Beeler pulled the cable on the flagpole and lowered Bryan Elementary School's Old Glory.

He and veteran colleague Gary Sevick of Coeur d'Alene folded it with precision, and when Beeler held the sacred triangle over his heart, Sevick saluted.

About 20 students stood still as statues and watched in wonder while members of Post 889 ceremoniously replaced the old flag with a larger, brighter new one Thursday afternoon.

"When Memorial Day comes around, or Veterans Day or the Fourth of July, or any of those days, they see the flag for their country looking clean, looking proud, meaning something," said Beeler, of Coeur d'Alene. "Not left in a corner to get dingy and weathered and fade away."

Beeler's daughter, Bryan fifth-grader Emilie Brisboy, was among the students who witnessed the ceremony. She wore a shirt which read, "Veteran daughter" on the front, and the back read, "Some people have to wait their entire lives to meet their hero. I was raised by mine."

"It's very, very cool. I am proud of them," she said as she wrapped her arms around Beeler, an Army veteran who fought in Desert Storm. "I love you, Dad."

Post 889 members donated a total of 26 flags to Bryan after the school contacted them to see if they could assist with its flag predicament.

"The report was that not all classrooms had them - and the ones that did, some were in disrepair, dingy, old - and I guess those had been coming out of the teachers' pockets," Beeler said. "We've got enough coming out of the teachers' pockets."

Beeler said the idea was discussed at last month's meeting and a motion was made to set aside some funds to aid Bryan and other local schools which may be in similar situations.

"In the mornings they do the Pledge of Allegiance," he said. "When a child is trying to learn respect and dignity for not only their country but their colors and what the flag stands for - for freedom and the price that some people are willing to pay to ensure that that freedom carries on - it just doesn't sit well in my heart and most of the other guys' hearts when what they're looking at is stapled-together, piecemeal ... in the gym they were just putting their hands over their heart and facing the wall because they didn't have one in there."

Accelerated learning program teacher Jim Windisch of Coeur d'Alene said he was unsure of the outside flag's age, but knew that some classroom flags dated back to the mid-1970s and were quite worn.

"It's fantastic to have this partnership," he said. "It's nice the students have a flag in good repair to pledge to in the morning."

The flag retirement at the flagpole was followed by an all-school Veterans Day assembly in the gymnasium. The assembly featured different grades singing patriotic songs honoring America's heroes and concluded with a touching slideshow presentation, with pictures of students' and faculty members' family who served in the military or are currently serving.

"Kids around here are so respectful and the teachers do tell them the right thing, they teach them the right thing about the military and what we did," said Sevick, who is a Vietnam veteran. Sevick was a paratrooper in the Army; he served in the 6th Special Forces Group and the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

"I still have my green beret," he said.

Veterans Day is Tuesday.