The Firelight Honor

... the crowd murmured as firelight flashed on his knife blade ...

The Firelight Honor - James Fox

Sometimes I will pass a tattered American flag flying valiantly on its staff. It is then that I recall an inspiring flag retirement that my son Jason and I witnessed more than a decade ago.

I had joined several other families on a trek to a Boy Scout camp to attend the campfire and camp overnight before bringing our sons home from a week of summer camp. This memorable flag ceremony took place during one of the last camp-fires held at the old Boy Scout Camp 49'er in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.

The evening had been full of boisterous songs, silly skits, and camp awards. Following a camp-wide singing of “America,” an old scoutmaster stepped forward and announced the retirement of an American Flag. His beard was streaked with gray, and his red jacket was adorned with patches and awards from camporees long past, but not forgotten. However, it was that old scouter’s short and simple flag retirement ceremony that had a lasting impact on every camper there that night.

Several organizations have flag retirement ceremonies with specific guidelines to meet the flag code requirement. The United States Flag Code requires that worn-out American flags be retired and disposed of with honor, preferably by burning. The United States Armed Forces and their auxiliaries are charged by Congress with the duty of retiring old flags.

The Boy Scouts of America organization was chartered by Congress and also given the duty of flag retirement. However, there was no BSA mandate for any specific ceremony. The BSA instead relied on the wisdom and patriotism of its volunteer scoutmasters to perform this duty honorably. The ceremony my son and I witnessed was so moving, perhaps, because it was presented from the heart of just such a volunteer.

Two Eagle Scouts, their white sashes bearing the symbol of the Order of the Arrow Lodge, brought forward a tattered flag. The old scouter asked the camp audience to stand as the flag was unfolded and stretched between the two scouts as they stood back beyond the fire ring; the flag illuminated by firelight.

The old scouter explained its history: “This flag has flown proudly over the BSA 49'er Council office. She has done her duty well, as a symbol -- a daily reminder to all who saw her that we are a nation founded by thirteen colonies desiring to live in freedom. Today, just as the stars and stripes are sewn together to make our flag, we the people are also bound together, united as one nation.”

The scouter opened his pocketknife, and the firelight flashed on the blade as he stepped toward the flag. A murmur of concern rippled through the audience as the scouter carefully cut a slit into the blue field below a white star.

Slipping his hand through the slit to support the star he turned back toward the crowd and stated, “On the 14th of June, 1777 the Continental Congress of the United States did ordain that our national colors shall consist of a flag with a blue field bearing thirteen stars representing a new constellation, the symbol of freedom.” Lifting the cradled star upward in the firelight, the scouter continued, “Today the stars in that field of blue number fifty; one for each of our separate states united as one nation.”

Turning back toward the flag, he carefully cut a slit through a red stripe, and then the white stripe below, and supporting them with his hand the scouter said, “The delegates to the Continental Congress of those thirteen colonies, united as a new nation struggling through a war of independence, did ordain that our nation’s flag would also consist of thirteen stripes. Red separated by white to signify the separation from our mother country and the old allegiances to kings and queens. We would henceforth be, forever, a self-governing nation of free men and women.”

Stepping aside, raising his knife, and folding the blade closed, the scouter explained, “By these rents in her fabric, I have rendered this no longer a flag, but only the tattered remains of our national colors. Tonight, as required by the Flag Code, we shall retire these colors with honor.”

Raising an open hand to his cheek the old scouter called out, “Quartermaster?” A voice from the darkness beyond the light of the campfire answered, “I am here!” The scouter asked, “Quartermaster, has this flag been replaced?” The voice answered, “She has been replaced by a new flag, bearing the same symbol of stars and stripes representing our nation. She flies proudly each day.”

The old scouter then issued this charge to the audience; “Let it ever be so, that this flag shall always be replaced with honor. Never let it be that American men and women gather in darkness to burn the last remnant of our civilization. Pledge that now and join with me in stating your allegiance to our nation and the symbol of freedom, our American flag.”

As one of the Eagle Scouts lowered the tattered remnants into the fire, the other stepped forward to unfurl the American flag lifted high on a staff, illuminated by the flaring flames. The voice of the Quartermaster called out from the darkness, “Hand salute... now- Who Pledges?”

And with eyes moist from emotion and hearts beating with patriotic pride, the old scouter, the civilians and veterans, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons gathered there, all spoke in unison, “I pledge allegiance ...”

( First published fnasr Feb. 2006 in The Front Porch periodical. )
Jim Fox, a former Scoutmaster and the father of an Eagle Scout writes from Lodi California
Retired, with his 'Bag of Flags' he occasionally trains youth groups in the
presentation of replicas of Historical American Flags, explained in short narratives.

/////SIDEBAR////\\\\\ *** This article is archived in the Ceremonies Section of the US Scouting Service Project website, with the following SAFETY Considerations *** The rents in the modern fabrics of nylon or polyester help to vent the heat through the flag, preventing it from billowing up and around the edges burning the fingers of the person or persons lowering the flag, still it is best to have them lower it quickly.

Around any campfire always have a bucket of water and learn how to "cast" water by hand rather than immediately dumping the whole bucket.

Also so you DO NOT NICK yourself, you should choose one of these two ideas -

First idea, ahead of time, pinch the fabric and pre-cut quarter inch rents in the flag, below the lowest star in the right-hand corner of the blue field, then through a white stripe and red stripe toward the center of the flag and just below and to the right of that star; the audience won't see the cuts and it saves you struggling to punch your knife through the fabric.

Second idea, replace the knife, instead raise a small scissors, and add this to the narrative; "It is believed that during a visit in 1777 by members of the flag design committee, they presented a sketch showing the six-pointed stars favored by George Washington and other members of the Masonic Lodges. But Betsy Ross demonstrated that a single snip with scissors on a piece of folded cloth would more quickly create the five-pointed star that we recognize today on our flags and official seals."
(Previously have pinched a bit of the flag, to snip under a star, next pinch and snip under a red stripe and then a white stripe. This creates slits to insert the scissor tip into, and make the longer rents in the fabric.)


A FINAL note: this Flag Retirement would work with non-scout youth groups as well; change the call out from "Quartermaster" to "Citizen." ***/////