Boy Scouts mark Flag Day with flag retirement ceremony
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Many of the flags retired Tuesday were donated.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
The flames grew bigger with each flag laid in the fires.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Boy Scout Troop 22 sponsored the ceremony, and received assistance from Troop 28.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Flags were disposed of in a solemn ceremony where damaged flags were laid in a fire.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Boy Scouts gathered around the fire circle at Bird Park to retire hundreds of U.S. flags.
A local Boy Scout troop recognized Flag Day last week with the proper retirement and disposal of U.S. flags.
Troop 22 sponsored Tuesday’s ceremony at Bird Park in Mt. Lebanon. They were joined by members of Troop 28.
“We’re doing it in a way prescribed by the flag code, which funnily enough is burning the flag,” said Ian Dawson, 18, an assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 22. “Doing it as prescribed by the flag code instead of some other way that some people might think works, but isn’t actually in keeping with the institutions and spirit of the United States as a whole.”
Parents of the Scouts watched as they gathered around the fire circle at the end of Bird Park Drive, and quietly took hundreds of carefully folded flags, large and small, and silently dropped them into the flames.
“We have hundreds and hundreds of worn, tattered, torn and faded flags that are unserviceable, inappropriate to be flown. They have to be retired. They’re not just thrown in the garbage, but they have to be solemnly and honorably retired by burning in a ceremonial fire,” said Chris Wildfire, a committee member for Troop 22.
After the fire, the ashes are then buried.
Tuesday’s ceremony opened with The Keystone Chorus, a barbershop quartet singing the national anthem and “God Bless America.” Following prayer and a recitation of the Boy Scout oath, the ceremony began.
Wildfire said that proper flag etiquette is a requirement for Boy Scouts still in the early ranks. He hopes the ceremony can be a learning experience for those unfamiliar with the process.
“People don’t always realize how to dispose of the flags … A lot of people who have contributed to the flags that we have just put them on a shelf or put them in a closet or put them in storage. They really don’t do anything for them. This is a final bit of closure for the flags,” Wildfire said.
Dawson attained the rank of Eagle Scout while in Troop 22. For the Scouts, Dawson said the ceremony is a chance to show respect to the institutions and freedoms of America.
“We’re doing a community service, which is a large part of Scouts, while sort of reaffirming our commitment to the values represented by the flag and U.S. as a whole,” Dawson said.