Look at the right sleeve of any Cub Scout, Boy Scout, or Venturer, and you’ll see just how important the American Flag is to the Boy Scouts of America. So crucial, in fact, that the flag patch comes already embroidered on every uniform.
Reverence for the flag flows through all aspects of Scouting. Think of every unit meeting or special Scouting ceremony you’ve attended. Each began with a flag ceremony and everyone pledging allegiance to the flag.
This respect for the flag shouldn’t stop there, though. When the flag has reached the end of its life, a meaningful retirement ceremony should follow.
Modern flags made of nylon last much longer than those made when the Scouting program began 100 years ago. Back then, flags were constructed out of cotton or wool. But even the durable nylon or polyester flags used today can wear out.
That’s where a flag retirement ceremony comes in. How do you start? Is it O.K. to burn the flag to retire it? We’ll answer those questions and more after the jump.
Find help:
Many units start the flag retirement process by contacting a local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post, Elks Lodge, American Legion post or similar group. Your pack, troop, or crew could conduct a small service project in exchange for the group’s helping to retire your flag.
This option ensures that the ceremony will be held in a respectful manner by people who know what they’re doing.
Give help:
Some troops already conduct flag retirement ceremonies several times a year, so they really don’t need help conducting a proper ceremony.
If that’s the case, these troops should use their knowledge to help others.
In fact, the latest edition of the Boy Scout Handbook says, “As a Good Turn, Scouts can volunteer to help replace faded and tattered flags in their communities and to conduct flag retirement ceremonies for those that have been taken down.”
Burning the flag:
A popular way to retire a worn-out American Flag is by burning it.
Page 76 of the BSA Handbook says, “A national flag that is worn beyond repair may be burned in a fire. The ceremony should be conducted with dignity and respect and the flag burned completely to ashes.”
Though the BSA recognizes burning a flag as an official retirement method, some Scouters choose to retire the flag in other ways. Why? Because unlike the cotton and wool flags made in the early 20th century, today’s flags are made out of petroleum-based materials like nylon. Burning nylon is different from burning cotton or wool.
FlagCenter.com posted this statement about burning nylon flags:
“Burning American flags made of nylon (a petroleum product) creates hazardous gases and wastes resources. … According to DuPont’s ‘Material Safety Data Sheet’ burning nylon produces:
“Hazardous gases / vapors produced in fire are formaldehydes, ammonia, carbon monoxide, cyclopentanone, oxides of nitrogen, traces of hydrogen cyanide, incompletely burned hydrocarbons.”
Recycling the flag:
Instead of burning the flag, recycling old flags has become increasingly common.
At the retirement ceremony, you can cut up your flag using an approved technique that doesn’t cut through the blue star field. When a flag has been cut up, it is no longer officially a flag.
Do a Google search for flag recycling groups. Some offer the service for free, while others request a small donation for time spent and resources used.
The materials from your unit’s worn-out flag will be used to make a new flag for future generations of Americans to enjoy.
Flag retirement ceremony tips:
If you’re looking for a simple, meaningful flag retirement ceremony script, click here. The ceremony can be adapted for use with any method of retirement.
Final thought:
An American Flag is a big part of your pack, troop, or crew for years—or, in some cases, decades. Once its life nears an end, be sure to continue your reverence for this piece of America by giving it a proper send-off.
I cringe everytime I hear or see in print “a flag burning ceremony”. Make sure if you advertise or talk to media that you call it a “flag retirement ceremony”!
Also, does anyone know where giving out the rivets from retired flags came from? I was working at a new camp this last summer and wearing these was seen as cool and comes from them being given as recognition items. I was not a big fan of this practice, I’ve always buried them with the ashes of my small fire used to retire the flag. Thoughts?
Dan, I am not positive as to where it orignated at but the sugnifigance of the grommet is to be worn by those that had a major supporting rolling in a Flag Retirment Ceremony or by a Vetern that was envolved in a Flag Retirement Ceremony.
The only company that I can locate that recycles flags is American Flag recycling. It seems to me that the BSA could partner with them to significantly reduce pollution across the country. Another “Good Turn for America” ?
Please dont refer to it as burning. It is not what we truly do. Thank you for the ideas of what to do with nylon flags. We retire most of the flags in our area for many different groups/organizations. It is such a neat process. We bury the flag where we retired it, and if no veterans are present we give the gromits to the boys.
Recycling often involves just as much energy consumption and creation of toxic chemicals as burning. The toxicity of burning a single nylon flag is probably no more than that released from your car driving to a place that will accept it for recycling.
Just retire them in a fire. It is a beautiful ceremony when performed properly, and unlikely to cause any net negative effect in terms of pollution compared to recycling.
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We use the “I Am Your Flag ceremony” (Google it) and do a retirement ceremony twice a year. People in our community and our church (the charter organization) know we do these on a schedule, and so we never are wanting for flags to retire. We always burn the flags, having the Webelos scouts do the actual ceremony. It’s a very moving time and a great way to end our fall and spring campfires.
I just returned from the Bear Lake Aquatics Scout Camp, operated by the Great Salt Lake Council. I am the assistant scoutmaster for my church’s Boy Scout troop. Our boys had the rememberable experience of performing a flag retirement ceremony – the term we like to use. None of the boys had previously participated in such a ceremony, and the Senior Patrol Leader who officiated had to be prompted on occasion. Nonetheless, this was truly an experience these boys will likely remember throughout their lives. You could sense the reverence as the boys performing color guard marched in and displayed the colors – taking great pains to ensure they did not cross corners while unfolding and displaying. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by the remainder of the troop while holding the scout salute, the color guard then placed the center of the flag in the flames, the stripes side was then placed into the flames, and lastly, the star field was folded over the the burning stripes. The salute was held until the flag was reduced to ash. A Scoutmaster’s Minute then followed, touching on what had just occurred. The boys went to bed that evening much quieter than in prior evenings.
Dear Bryan,
I would like to give a great “Well Done!!” to all troops, packs and crews that participate in a Flag Retirement Ceremony. I have worked with both the youngest of Tiger Cubs and the oldest of Eagle Scout during the retirement of our Flag, and all show the respect and care befitting it. If your group isn’t currently holding a retirement ceremony please consider it. Too many people will just put the “old flag in the closet” and never take the time to bring it out for retirement. Your community will embrace it and support you. Advertise it, and you will get plenty of flags for a ceremony.
We hold an annual ceremony, that has grown so much that the local VFW and American Legion are sharing and participating with us during it. What a great way to share living history about our country and the battles she has seen, than to spend time with our Vets after the flames are gone. Our scouts can truly learn what sacrifice others have made for them.
Our scripts are respectful, and solumn, that reach to touch the very soul of all in attendance. So that all may know that this flag has flown over the Greatest Nation in the World and we are Very proud to call ourselves AMERICANS!
Sincerly
Myron Heusinkvelt
Troop 64 Committee Chairman
Cornhusker Councel, Nebraska, USA
For my eagle project I am collecting old flags and retiring them. Hopefully I will recieve a lot, but if I do, how do I properly retire so many? I’ve read lots of sites that recommend cutting the flags, but I’ve been to retiring ceremony’s where the flag was brought out, folded, then placed on the fire. Is this still a respectfully way? Also, what type of place should I retire the flags? Would a public park work, or would I need an amphitheater type setting, because I’m sure the some of the people who donate their flags would like to attend. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Our Troop used to conduct a Flag Retirement Ceremony till we were approached by an area craftperson who uses old flags in his crafts. He takes the old flag and places it behind an old wooden window frame. He dosen’t cut the flag or anything to disgrace our flag. He uses flags of all sizes in his craft.
Bryan,
You may want to pass in this safety guideline. About five years ago, the Utah State Commander of the VFW taught a class at Roundtable about flag retirement. He told us the flag code had changed for safety reasons. The new recommendation is to fold (as you would normally fold the U.S. flag) any flag of man-made materials before placing it in the fire. There have been many injuries (I’ve personally witnessed a couple of severe burns from flag retirements) from people placing unfolded nylon, and other man-made material, flags into fires. The fire consumes the man-made fabric at a much faster rate and often climbs the flag before it can be lowered by the color guard (especially larger flags). The important thing is to check and make sure the flag is entirely consumed by the fire before putting the fire out.
It would be terrible if a memorable ceremony was tainted by someone getting injured.