Troop 1889 of Aquia District, in conjunction with Troop 1422 of Mattaponi District, participated in a Flag Retirement ceremony hosted by the American Legion Post 320 in Spotsylvania County. Troop 1889 collected about 85 tattered U.S. Flags that needed to be properly retired with due respect and honors. These were added to the several hundred that the American Legion already had gathered from the community.
On August 15, 2020, Troop 1889 Scouts (Jackson, Jake, Bobby, Wesley, Tyler, and Daniel)
and adult Scout Leaders, as well as three Scouts and the Scoutmaster from Troop 1422, reported to the American Legion at 10:00 AM to prepare the Flags and set them out on metal bars. At 2:00 PM, they all participated in the Flag Retirement Ceremony where over 350 flags were retired with dignity and honor while a bugler played taps. From the collection of worn U.S. Flags to the retirement ceremony, Scouts completed about 7 hours of community service while practicing social distancing.
The Founder of Scouting, Lord Robert Baden-Powell said: “The teaching of service is not merely a matter of teaching in theory, but the development of two distinct phases: the inculcation of the spirit of goodwill, and the provision of opportunity for its expression in practice. The teaching is mainly through example and … patriotic dedication of self to the service of [others], solely for the joy of doing it and without thought of material reward.” The Scouts of Troop 1889 and 1422 and their adult Scout Leaders clearly exemplified this kind of patriotic service in their honoring of U.S. Flags deserving of proper and respectful retirement.
