Respect for the American flag practiced year-round by Boy Scouts Troop 321

By Toni Miles

Members of Boy Scouts Troop 321 salute the American flag. This is one of many flags Boy Scouts with this local troop put up throughout the City of Long Beach for Memorial Day.

Members of Boy Scouts Troop 321 in Long Beach have been busy not only distributing and putting up American Flags throughout the Friendly City, but also collecting retired U.S. flags for proper and dignified disposal.

Members of the Long Beach Boy Scouts Troop 321 recently set up a collection drop off box at Long Beach City Hall, located at 201 Jeff Davis Avenue, for respectful and patriotic flag retirements, providing the community with a dignified way to retire worn or damaged American flags. The drop box and program allows citizens to bring faded, torn or no longer serviceable U.S. flags to be properly collected for ceremonial retirement in accordance with national flag code guidelines.

The initiative was organized in partnership with a local troop of the Boy Scouts of America, whose members will oversee the proper handling and ceremonial burning of the flags in a private retirement service.

The flag retirement process follows long standing traditions recommended by the U.S. Flag Code, which calls for worn American flags to be destroyed in a dignified manner, typically through ceremonial burning. Scouts participating in the event receive instruction on flag etiquette and the historical significance of the American flag.

Meanwhile, members of Troop 321 have hit a milestone, reaching twenty flag subscriptions with their new Long Beach Patriot Flags program referral system, as evidenced by the Stars and Stripes flags flying on the property of these subscribers. Anyone in the area can join and participate in the Long Beach Patriot Flags Program by visiting Boy Scouts Troop 321’s Facebook page and signing up for the program.

Scouts in Troop 321 were also out in full force putting up flags for Memorial Day to honor the great sacrifice of U.S. military service members who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we all enjoy today.

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Troop leaders say these programs and initiatives are part of ongoing efforts to teach young members of the local Troop the importance of civic duty, respect for the flag and public service.