The Firelight Honor

Retiring an American flag properly is part of honoring it as a symbol of the “separate states united as one nation.” Former Scoutmaster James Fox recalls an inspiring flag retirement ceremony many years back.

Whenever I see a tattered American flag flying valiantly on its staff, it calls to mind an inspiring flag retirement that my son Jason and I witnessed many years ago.

I had joined several other families on a trek to a Boy Scout camp to attend the campfire and camp overnight before bringing our sons home from a week of summer camp. This memorable flag ceremony was performed during one of the last campfires held at the old Boy Scout Camp 49’er in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.

The evening had been full of boisterous songs, silly skits, and camp awards. Following a camp-wide singing of “America,” an old scoutmaster stepped forward and announced the retirement of an American flag.

His beard was streaked with gray, and his red jacket was adorned with patches and awards from camporees long past, but not forgotten. However, it was that old scouter’s short and simple flag retirement ceremony that had a lasting impact on every camper there that night.

The United States Flag Code requests that worn-out American flags be retired and disposed of with honor, preferably by burning. The United States Armed Forces and their auxiliaries are charged by Congress with the duty of retiring old flags. Chartered by Congress, The Boy Scouts of America was also given the duty of flag retirement.

This organization does not mandate any specific ceremony; instead, it relies on the wisdom and patriotism of its volunteer scoutmasters to perform this duty honorably. The ceremony that my son and I witnessed was so moving, perhaps, because it was presented from the heart of just such a volunteer.

Two Eagle Scouts, their white sashes bearing the Order of the Arrow Lodge symbol, brought forward a tattered flag. The old scouter asked the camp audience to stand as the flag was unfolded and stretched between the two scouts. They stepped back beyond the fire ring until the flag was fully illuminated by firelight.

The old scouter explained its history: “This flag has flown proudly over the BSA 49’er Council office. She has done her duty well, as a symbol – a daily reminder to all who saw her that we are a nation founded by thirteen colonies desiring to live in freedom. Today, just as the stars and stripes are sewn together to create our flag, we the people are also bound together, united as one nation.”

The scouter opened his pocketknife, and the firelight flashed on the razor-sharp blade as he stepped toward the flag. A murmur of concern rippled through the audience as the scouter carefully slashed through the blue field below a white star.

Slipping his hand through the slit to support the star he turned back toward the crowd and stated, “On the 14th of June, 1777, the Continental Congress of the United States did ordain that our national colors shall consist of a flag with a blue field bearing 13 stars representing a new constellation, the symbol of freedom.”

Lifting the cradled star upward in the firelight, the scouter continued, “Today the stars in that field of blue number 50; one for each of our separate states united as one nation.”

He carefully slashed another slit below the star and through a red stripe, and then through the white stripe below that. Slipping his hand through to support the stripes, he turned to face the audience stating, “The delegates to the Continental Congress of those 13 colonies, united as a new nation struggling through a war of independence, did ordain that our nation’s flag would also consist of 13 stripes.

In front of the assembled troops of the Continental Army, George Washington stated these stripes were, “Red separated by white, to signify the separation from our mother country.” No longer holding any allegiances to king or queen, we would henceforth be, forever, a self-governing nation of free men and women.”

Stepping aside, raising his knife, and folding the blade closed, the scouter explained, “By these rents in her fabric, I have rendered this no longer a flag, but only the tattered remains of our national colors. Tonight, as required by the Flag Code, we shall retire these colors with honor.”

Raising an open hand to his cheek, the old scouter called out, “Quartermaster?” A voice from the darkness beyond the light of the campfire answered, “I am here!” The scouter asked, “Quartermaster, has this flag been replaced?” The voice answered, “She has been replaced by a new flag, bearing the same symbol of stars and stripes representing our nation. She flies proudly each day.”

The old scouter then issued this charge to the audience; “Let it ever be so, that this flag shall always be replaced with honor. Never let it be that American men and women gather in darkness to burn the last remnant of our civilization. Pledge that now. Join me in stating your allegiance to our nation and the symbol of freedom, our American flag.”

As one of the Eagle Scouts lowered the tattered remnants into the fire, the other stepped forward to unfurl an American flag on a staff and lift it high, illuminated by the flare of the flames.

The voice of the quartermaster called out from the darkness, “Hand salute … now, who pledges?” And with eyes moist from emotion and hearts beating with patriotic pride, civilians and veterans, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, all gathered there, spoke in unison, “I pledge allegiance …”

First published Feb. 2006 in The Front Porch periodical (FNASR)

Jim Fox, a former Scoutmaster and the father of an Eagle Scout, writes from Lodi California. Retired, with his “Bag of Flags,” he occasionally trains youth groups in the presentation of replicas of historical American flags.

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