Boy Scouts build flag retirement pit at Redmond VFW

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 418 in Redmond will hold a Veterans Day dedication on Sunday at 2 p.m. for a facility where Central Oregonians can drop off flags that need to be retired.

The VFW regularly flies flags in honor of our country. They also encourage anyone with an old, worn or tattered flag to drop it off so it can be retired properly, with honor.

The VFW post currently offers a drop box so the community can drop off their damaged flags for proper retirement.

Jeff Chappell, the Redmond VFW’s House Committee chair, noted Wednesday that not all flags are ready to be retired.

“When necessary, we will review them, look at them, and we might find some that just needed to be laundered,” he said. “We will take care of them and reuse those flags, get them back out to the community where possible.”

Christopher Mathis is a Boy Scout with Troop 27 in Redmond — a city that, by the way, prides itself on its numerous flag displays and the title Flag City USA.

Mathis said he was recently looking for a project to gain the rank of Eagle Scout, the organization’s highest rank.

Mathis said he learned the VFW in Redmond had a storeroom full of flags that need to be retired properly and with honor. He said he felt it would be very meaningful to bring the veterans and Scouts together to have a dedicated place for proper disposal of American flags.

“I’ve personally been a part of retiring several flags, and it’s really special to be able to do that, and I wanted somewhere that other people can experience that as well,” Mathis said.

According to the Boy Scouts of America website, it’s one of the very few organizations that have an official code for flag retirement. It says, “A national flag that is worn beyond repair may be burned in a fire. The ceremony should be conducted with dignity and respect and the flag burned completely to ashes.”

Chappell shared the importance of this project, saying, “The flag is important, and as the Scouts will tell you, there are only a few organizations that are authorized to dispose of flags in the proper manner.”

The VFW, Boy Scouts of America and American Legion are the three organizations authorized by the U.S. Congress to burn flags.

Chappell told us the VFW has wanted something like this for a while, but did not have the means to build it. It took the Scouts coming to them, asking what they could do to help.

He said they’ve been looking for a way to work more with the young people, and he’s thankful for the Boy Scouts’ assistance.

The Redmond VFW post is at 491 SW Veterans Way.