Dickson City Troop 21 Assistant Scoutmaster Greg Strony handed out 13 red and white fabric stripes and one block of blue with 50 white stars to a group of scouts.
The scouts stood facing a pile of U.S. flags ready to burn.
Ahead of Flag Day today, the scouts gathered behind the Dickson City Fire Department Eagle Hose Company 1 in the borough to “bid a final farewell to an old friend with dignity, respect and honors," Strony told the crowd.
As the pyre burned the scouts took turns placing a single stripe in the fire. Strony talked about the meaning attached to each piece of the Star Spangled Banner placed in the fire.
The first stripe honored the 13 original colonies and the nation’s founding fathers. Stripe two honored those who died in the war for independence. The list went on to honor all the servicemen and women who fought in multiple wars for the United States of America.
Last to burn was the canton.
“A field of blue that is indicative of God's heaven. The stars clustered together signify the 50 states together as one for God and country,” Strony said.
He turned to the Dickson City Veterans Honor Guard, which fired three shots. A bugler played “Taps” as the flags burned to dust. There was a moment of silence and reflection as black smoke bellowed into the sky.
Origins of Flag Day
The flag, with its 50 white stars on a blue background next to 13 red and white stripes, is a poignant symbol representing the land of the free and has its own national holiday each year.
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag, according to the Library of Congress. The design was the familiar one we still use today, with one major difference: There were only 13 stars, representing the 13 original colonies-turned-states, arranged in a circle.
The annual national observance commemorates that act. It has become a day to honor and show respect for the U.S. flag and what it represents.
How did it become a holiday?
In 1885, on the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of the Stars and Stripes, Wisconsin school teacher Bernard J. Cigrand arranged for his students to celebrate the birthday of America’s flag.
Cigrant is considered by many to be the “father” of Flag Day, as described in this post from the National Archives.
Cigrant and others then began to advocate for a flag day. State and local governments began to observe the anniversary. Pennsylvania became the first state to make Flag Day a legal holiday in 1937, according to the National Flag Foundation.
In 1914, Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane delivered a Flag Day address. He claimed the flag had spoken to him that morning and said: “I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.”
Two years later in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day.
In 1949 Congress approved June 14 to be observed as National Flag Day. President Harry S. Truman then signed it into law.
Saying goodbye
U.S. Flag Code outlines how the flag should be designed, displayed and, when the time comes, retired. Flag Day is considered an appropriate day to hold flag disposal ceremonies.
“United States Code Title 36, Chapter 10, Paragraph 176, subparagraph k, states, as follows: ‘the flag, when it is in such a condition that is no longer a fitting emblem for display shall be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning,’” Strony said during the Scout’s ceremony.
It’s considered disrespectful to throw old worn out flags in the garbage, according to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The American Legion passed a resolution in 1937 that states: "The approved method of disposing of unserviceable flags has long been that they be destroyed by burning."
Groups, like Scouting America, VFWs and American Legions, will collect flags throughout the year to retire near the holiday.
Strony said one Dickson City DPW employee even pulls flags out of the garbage so that the two Dickson City troops can honor the symbol properly. The American Legion Post 665 on Main Street in the borough has a box outside where flags can be left for the troops to retire.
Flags can also be retired at home. DOD says first fold the flag in a customary manner. Then salute the flag, say the Pledge of Allegiance and hold a moment of silence. Finally, burn the flag.
Stopping to reflect
Strony asked the scouts and the small crowd gathered behind Eagle Hose Company if they think about what the flag symbolizes.
"The blue in our flag stands for perseverance, justice and vigilance. It is with this our Founding Fathers fought and sacrificed in order to form a more perfect union," he said. "The white stands for the purity in all of our hearts. It also represents the honor that each of us should show in our everyday lives. The red stands for hardness and valor of all the men and women who have died in the service of our country, both as members of the armed forces and as everyday citizens.”
He’s passionate about the American Flag. The scouts also honor veterans by placing flags on their graves.
“It gives them a chance to see, okay, why we're doing these things," he said.
Ultimately, Strony said the flag retirement ceremony teaches the scouts about respect.
FLAG DAY EVENTS AROUND THE REGION
• Columbia -Montour Council of Scouting America will hold an American Flag retirement ceremony today at 10 a.m. in the Phoenix Courtyard at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg. The council and the park invites members of the public to bring American Flags that have reached the end of their life.
• Knights of Columbus Council 12572 Flag Day Ceremony, plaque dedication by Assembly 938 in honor of the Tomb of the Unborn and celebration of 250 years of the United States Army, today, 10 a.m., Cathedral Cemetery, 1708 Oram St., Scranton.
• Susquehanna County Veterans' Roll Call on the Montrose Green will honor the county's veterans today at 2 p.m.. The county invites veterans from all wars to rise to be recognized.
