Flag retirement becomes lesson for boy scouts
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You've seen images of burning U.S. flags before, but on Sunday afternoon in East Austin, it was a symbol of nobility.
"It's an honor. We have to treat it with respect. We need to treat it with respect," John Knox with the Boy Scouts of America said.
That respect involves a very strict process for the retirement of an American flag.
"Boy scouts do not burn flags,” Knox said. “We retire flags properly. As part of the retirement of the flag, we disassemble the American flag into the 13 stripes."
John doesn't do it alone either--the entire time he is teaching his scouts how it’s done.
"We teach them the history of the flag from the beginning to the end, from the 27 original stars to the 50 stars," Knox said.
It’s a lesson well learned by the young men in training.
"We wouldn't like step on it, and treat it badly. We always raise it and always salute it," boy scout Trevor White said.
The only part of the flag that isn't retired is the grommet, which is cut off and given as a gift for good luck.