Cub Scout Pack 73 are retiring U.S. flags in a respectful way as the pack holds its third annual flag retirement ceremony Saturday, June 13.

Ed Colaianni, Cubmaster for Pack 73, describes the event as the right way to take care of flags that can no longer be used.

“A flag that you can’t do anything with has to be retired with dignity,” he said. “According to the flag code, the best way to do this is with burning the flags.”

The Cub Scouts refer to the process as a retirement as opposed to a burning because in the past that has been seen as disrespectful to the country, Colaianni said.

He said the ceremony has each flag being retired put into a barrel incinerator one by one in a peaceful manner.

“Most people don’t know how to get rid of their flags and usually end up putting them in the garbage, which isn’t a dignified way of disposing them,” he said.
Michelle Frey, another scout leader, likes the idea of retiring flags and the example it sets for the Scouts.

“It shows the kids to be respectful to the flag, and I’m proud to say I got to be a part of last year and will be a part of it again this year,” she said.

Retiring flags has been helping out the Westchester community. Colaianni said most flags that can no longer be used are typically sent to local Veterans of War or American Legion posts. But that has been a problem in the past when the VFW in Westchester was closed.

“When the VFW closed a lot of people didn’t know where to take their flags,” he said.
But that changed with the help of the Pack 73.

 “After my son joined Cub Scouts four years ago, my wife and I became leaders and were looking for community service projects to do,” he said. “We decided to put flags on the graves for veterans on Memorial Day.”

His troop then had flags that were worn down and soiled that needed to be retired.

“It kind of snowballed from there with our flags and others that needed a way to get rid of them,” he said.

Colaianni and his troop have been receiving between 200 to 300 flags each year since.