Tattered American Flags Honorned With Retirement
The tattered, torn and faded remains of Old Glory were reverently put to rest Saturday at the Town Hole in Anderson.
The local Boy Scout Troop collected flags that were no longer usable.
The scouts took the flags to Town Hole for the flag ceremony to properly dispose of them.
“This has been a yearly tradition for three years now,” said Brantley Allen, Eagle Scout in Troop 95 based in Anderson. “This became my project. I made a box for people to drop off their old flags at the Armory in Anderson. Then, once a year near Flag Day, we have the flag retirement ceremony.”
Allen, who attends McDonald County High School, has been in the scouts for seven years.
The ceremony began with the Pledge of Allegiance by the attendees, including some local law enforcement officers, led by the scout troop.
The scouts started a fire in an old half-barrel and laid the first flag in it after the flames spread throughout the barrel. After the first flag began to burn, the scouts said the ceremony was over for the public and the scouts would continue to properly burn the flags until they were all disposed of.
Tim Thurman is scout master for Troop 95.
Throughout the United States, flag-retirement ceremonies have become a yearly tradition. Some involve thousands of flags being put to rest with dignity.
Some things to think about while the worn American flags are put to rest are: “Old Glory” is our flag’s nickname. The red stripes symbolize the blood spilled in defense of the nation. The white stripes signify the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons and daughters. The blue is indicative of God’s heaven under which it flies. The stars, clustered together, unify 50 states under one God and Country. For more information on the flag, go to www. ushistory.org.