Scouts Flag Retirement

Scouts carry a blue star field from the retiring flags to the fire. Scouts from Troop and Pack 220 located on Robins AFB honored the remembrance of the eleventh anniversary of 9/11 with a solemn flag retirement ceremony at the Fire Ring near the Pave Paws facility.The traditional method of retirement is to incinerate the flag, but this does not mean that one should simply drop the entire flag (intact) into a fire. A flag ceases to be a flag when it is cut into pieces. In addition, it is easier to completely incinerate the flag, if it is cut into smaller pieces. Stripes may be cut separate and incinerated by color, to explain the meaning of each color. The blue star field is left intact as it represents the union of the fifty states and one should never let the union be broken. The Scouts maintain a vigil over the fire until all traces of the flag remnants are destroyed. Then, the fire is extinguished and the ashes are buried. (U. S. Air Force photo/Sue Sapp)