Local Boy Scout, Veterans Celebrate Flag Day With Retirement Ceremony

When a flag gets tattered and torn, people aren't supposed to throw them away. To celebrate Flag Day, members of the Tulsa VFW and Boy Scouts of America retired those old flags. 

June 14th is a day designated to celebrate the American flag. A banner of stars and stripes carries hundreds of years of history that a Tulsa group honors.

"It's sort of a burial for them," said Boy Scout J.P. Morton. 

Local Boy Scouts and Tulsa VFW post 577 pay their respects each year.

"It's service. Service to the flags, to the country, and to the VFW which is a nice organization to be a part of," Morton said.

J.P. Morton's Boy Scout troop and the VFW retired more than 5,000 American flags. 

"Each scout that walks up there and retires those flags, they give that flag a final salute. That's to honor the service of that flag. That flag it flies here it flies around the world.," said VFW post commander Joshua Starks. 

Starks has been doing this since he was a boy scout.

"As we go through with the veterans and we teach the boys, we teach them that each flag is like a service member in and of itself, and we make sure they treat that flag with the honor dignity and respect deserving of a cremation," Starks said.

As they folded and cradled thousands of flags before throwing each one into the fire, the boys made sure to set aside a few pieces of history.

"It's really neat to find, it's really rare with how old they are," Morton said talking about a few treasures they found. 

The troop found at least four 48-star flags, predating the 1960s.

"They're in attics, they're in a storeroom just collecting dust, and then they finally find out they can donate them here. They don't make them anymore so it's really neat every time we find one, it's a big deal," Morton said.

As summer rolls around each year, Morton said he knows what he'll be doing on June 14th.

"There's an importance and a history and an honor to be able to come out here and do this."

Flags that need to be retired can be dropped off at the VFW or a local fire station.