Austin Snip teamed up with Gold Star Post 191 to meet a need in his community. He had a prior relationship with the Post, which is the Chartered Organization for Sea Scout Ship 1191, and they shared that they had a surplus of U.S. flag donations. Since they wanted to retire the flags but didn’t have the time to do so, Austin found an opportunity to provide service for his Eagle project. At first, the estimate started with around 100 flags in the proposal steps but that number then jumped to about 1,000 during the planning process.
To start off the project, a few volunteers met at the Post to move the flags from the Post’s underground storage to a trailer for transportation. Once they arrived at the incinerator, volunteers from three different units (Troop 1450, Troop 447, and Ship 1191) as well as non-scouting volunteers worked to unload the trailer and begin folding flags.“During the project, we got an unexpected donation of flags from the City of Poolesville, which was one of the factors in the increase of flags from planning to execution,” explained Austin. “For the next couple of hours, 26 volunteers worked together to count and fold flags. After the folding work, we held a ceremony. Four of the volunteers were speakers, reading a script that I had prepared beforehand. 
The Gaithersburg High School Navy Junior ROTC color guard was kind enough to provide their services in the opening and closing colors. Multiple military veterans working at the incinerator came out to watch the ceremony. The total number of flags we retired came out to be 2,171 U.S. flags. Afterward, any volunteers who stayed till the end were treated to pizza and were able to tour the flag incinerator.”
The Gaithersburg High School Navy Junior ROTC color guard was kind enough to provide their services in the opening and closing colors. Multiple military veterans working at the incinerator came out to watch the ceremony. The total number of flags we retired came out to be 2,171 U.S. flags. Afterward, any volunteers who stayed till the end were treated to pizza and were able to tour the flag incinerator.”When asked what he learned about himself during his Eagle project, Austin replied, “This project showed me how capable I am of taking complete control of a large group, which before the project I still wasn’t completely confident in.”
Austin was inspired to pursue Eagle by Mickey, an older Scout who was active when he first joined. Austin remembers thinking, “I want to be like him.” Austin further shared, “To me, being an Eagle Scout is a responsibility. One who achieves the rank of Eagle has a responsibility to share their skills and experiences with the people around them, the people under them, and the people above them. This responsibility applies both in and out of Scouting, as well as carrying on throughout an Eagle’s life.”
Austin plans on continuing in his Troop and helping in any way he can, sharing his knowledge with Scouts both new and old. Austin also plans to get involved in the other branches of Scouting, with his Ship and Venture Crew.
