 When FISD schools, Windsong and Bales Intermediates and Cline Elementary, had a total of four flags that needed to be retired, it was members of Boy Scout Pack #452 of Mary Queen Catholic Church in Friendswood who stepped forward to assist with the retirement and host a ceremony.
Friendswood ISD personnel, parents and other guests gathered for the ceremony held recently at den leaders Jon and Melissa Johnson’s home. The Friendswood ISD scouts do many of the daily flag duties of raising, lowering and caring for the school flags so it was a worthy event for the scouts to see how the flags, once used up, were retired.
 The students gathered to see final closure to their school flags. Mark Manusov, Troop Scout Master was in charge, Pack Master Tim Vance conducted the ceremony and Rudy Isaac instructed the scouts for the flag handling.
The solemn ceremony started with scouts cutting the flags into stripe strips and the square area of stars. The many stripes were divided by scout members present so all could participate in the burning of the flag.
The event is held to promote American Heritage and provide a community service by honorably disposing of worn United States Flags and a Texas flag
According to scouts, the importance of this act, and the pride and emotions that it evokes make it a very powerful event that can serve as a reminder of National Pride and help instill the values brought forth in developing good citizenship in youth. With this in mind, the retirement of our nation’s flag then becomes a heavy responsibility that must be addressed with the proper respect and dignity it deserves.
 The flag retirement ceremony can be done in many settings, but is most effective in a small group setting. It should not be made a "grand event" or public display, rather a small, solemn occasion with a specific group or organization. A special ceremony or campfire would be appropriate. The actual ceremony should be an event by itself with no interruptions or "other business" during the ceremony. It may be a separate part of a larger program, but should have its own time from beginning to end.
The pledge of allegiance is said one last time with the flag before it is destroyed.
The Texas Flag too has a special script that depicts the importance of and pride felt about the flag.
“It was a night I will always remember,” Webelo member Lane Alksne-Liles said. “I didn’t know how flags were retired and I was proud to be part of the ceremony. I am glad the scouts in Friendswood held it.”
Below is the first speech of the ceremony that is presented in the present tense of the flag speaking:
"I am your Flag. I was born on June 14, 1777. I am more than just a piece of cloth shaped into a colorful design; I am the silent sentinel of freedom for the greatest sovereign nation on earth. I am the inspiration for which America patriots gave their lives and fortunes; I am the emblem of America.
I have led your sons into battle from Valley Forge to Vietnam. I have been there though the Civil War, Two World wars, at Gettysburg, Flanders, Korea, the Gulf War, all of them. I was there with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and I here with you now.
I have flown through Peace and War. Through strife and Prosperity, and amidst it all, I have always been respected. My red stripes symbolize the blood spilled in defense of this glorious nation. My white stripes, the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons in battle. My blue field represents God’s Heaven under which I fly, and my stars, clustered together, unify the fifty states as one for God and Country.
I am "Old Glory" and I proudly wave on high. Honor me, respect me, and defend me with your lives. Never let our enemies tear me down from my lofty position, lest I never return. Keep alight the fires of patriotism, strive earnestly for the spirit of democracy, and keep me always as a symbol of freedom, liberty, and peace in our country.
When it comes the time when I am old and faded, do not let me fly in disrepair, rather Retire me from my duties only to replace me with a new flag so that I may continue to symbolize our country. With this, renew your commitment to what I stand for and pledge your allegiance to me one final time: (all performed the Pledge of Allegiance) |
