Boy Scout Eagle project includes burning 137 flags in retirement ceremonyBoy Scout Eagle project includes burning 137 flags in retirement ceremony
With solemn ceremony and honor, members of Boy Scout Troop 27 retired 137 American flags Monday evening.
Working from four bags of past-their-prime flags, veterans and scouts folded each flag into a triangle. Then one by one, the scouts brought the flags to the burn barrels, unfolded them and placed them in the flames, where the flags turned to ashes in the hot fire.
The culmination of the Eagle Scout project of Greg Buttars, the event brought together yesterday's warriors and tomorrow's leaders.
"The Scouts are the youth of today but I believe they are the leaders of tomorrow,” said Jack Pickard, a member of the VFW's National Council of Administration and the local VFW post. "The scouts are showing pride and patriotism for the American flag and it makes us so happy and honored to be here.”
An honor guard from the VFW 2780 and members of the local Korean War Veterans group participated in the ceremony at Buttars' invitation. The other component of Buttar's Eagle Scout project, which he dubbed Food and Flags, was to gather canned goods for the Father Fred Foundation. He and other scouts filled a pick-up truck this fall during a drive held at Oleson's on North Long Lake Road.
Over the past few months, the scouts and the veterans' organizations gathered the faded and tattered flags, which also included a Canadian flag and a POW/MIA flag. The American flags came in all sizes €” including an oversized one that required numerous Boy Scouts to fold €” with one uniting principle: they were long past their days of flying glory.
Buttars conceived of the flag retirement idea for his Eagle Scout project after working as a camp counselor at Camp Greilick last summer. After duties there involving flag ceremonies, he noticed how some flags around town were torn and bedraggled.
"People will fly them because they don't know any better but they need to get retired,” said Buttars, a scout for 10 years whose older brother is an Eagle Scout and younger brother is also in scouting. "The idea was to get the community involved.”
Leadership is key to achieving the Eagle Scout rank, which nationally only one in four Scouts makes. Eagle Scouts must enroll other scouts in their troop, community members and their adult leaders into their project, coordinating the manpower effectively to achieve their goal.
"Scouting is boy led, the whole idea is to teaching them leadership,” said Jim Carpenter, whose son, James, achieved Eagle Scout rank before he graduated high school and joined the Navy.
Troop 27 has a rich history of Eagle Scouts well beyond the national average and this year's crop includes three young men besides Buttars. Spencer Crouch, a junior at Traverse City West High School, completed his trail project at Bullhead Lake Natural Area last June. His final step in achieving the rank is to report back to Long Lake Township Supervisor Karen Rosa.
"It definitely helped my leadership skills and communication skills,” said Crouch, who has been a Boy Scout since first grade. "I had to work with Long Lake Township and the Land Conservancy.”
Scouts always support one another as they complete the Eagle Scout rank, with members turning out in force as they did Monday night for Buttars.
"I always help out on other people's Eagle Scout projects,” said Crouch. €©