With the understanding that veterans show deep respect for the American Flag, a patriotic youth group, Trail Life Troop PA-0019, invited our post to attend a flag retirement ceremony their boys were holding at Hibernia Park on the evening of September 24. Post commander Marty Peterson, adjutant Tom Ames, and Phil Heth (who holds regular flag retirement ceremonies for flags collected in the post flag retirement box) attended the ceremony.
About a dozen boys camped out overnight and participated in the ceremony. After reading a script that explained that flags no longer fit for use should be "retired" by burning, the boys used scissors to cut up a representative flag into a collection of red stripes, white stripes, and the blue field. Each category was then placed in the campfire as the narrator explained the signicance of the red, white, and blue.
The troop is chartered by The Forks of the Brandywine Church of Glenmoore, PA. The organization is similar to the Boy Scouts of America but does not commingle boys and girls. They have a separate troop for girls.
The Troop leaders talked with Commander Peterson about ways in which Trail Life and the VFW can work together. The boys are interested in learning more about veterans and their past experiences. Commander Peterson pledged our post's support to the boys and suggested we might have a joint flag retirement ceremony at our post in Downingtown.
