OPENING:

MC:

Please stand. I would ask you to remain silent, standing until the retirement ceremony is over, and the flag is completely burned.

MC:

Honor Guard advance. (Honor guard enters to stand behind fire)

MC:

We are here tonight to give honor to this flag one final time. It has flown long and proud as a symbol of our nation at (place location here). The flag is always to be treated with respect. United States Code Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8 states “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”

(red part):

As part of this ceremony, we will be separating the flag into four sections for the safety of the Honor guard. The blue union will kept in one piece, as it represents the fifty states and the union should never be broken.

A small amount of ashes have been kept from a previous retirement and are lining the fire to prepare a place of honor for this flag. After this retirement, the ashes from this flag will be buried secretly so they cannot be dishonored and the grommets will be taken to a veteran’s cemetery and placed at the headstones to honor those who died for our freedom.

MC:

Honor Guard, present the colors. (Honor Guard unfolds flag and holds it facing assembly, blue field to stage right)

MC:

I was born on June 14th,1777 and the Declaration of Independence is my birth certificate. I am more than just red, white, and blue cloth shaped into a design. I am the shelter of the world’s mistreated people; the silent guardian of freedom. I am the symbol of the greatest nation on Earth; a nation of the people, by the people, for the people. I am strong because of the strength of the American people; their desire to give help to those in need. I try hard for peace yet stand ready to fight cruelty. I feed the starving and offer help to the needy. I defend the freedom of those who desire it and offer a home to anyone who will pledge allegiance to me. I have led your sons and daughters from Valley Forge to the Arabian Peninsula. I have flown at Gettysburg, Flanders, Normandy, Korea, and Vietnam and I fly today in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have protected the weak and the innocent in dozens of nations. I covered in silence each of your honored dead taking them in my embrace to their final resting place beneath the rows of white crosses. I fly over you schools, your homes, and your churches. I even stand on the moon, as a symbol of what this great nation is able to do when united in purpose. I have flown through peace and war, difficulty and success. Honor me, respect me, and defend me with your lives and everything that you have. Never let my enemies tear me down from my high place lest I never return. Keep alight the fires of patriotism; keep alive the spirit of democracy. Worship Eternal God, keep His commandments, defend freedom and justice; and God willing I shall remain in freedom for the rest of my days.

MC:

Scout salute!

MC:

Please join me is saying the pledge to this flag one final time.

(say pledge):

(If necessary for safety, Scouts separate flag into four pieces with one cut vertically and one cut horizontally during the following. Keep the union in one solid piece to be burned last)

MC or Scout 1:

I have 13 stripes which represent the 13 colonies, which stood defiantly for freedom and became the first states.

MC or Scout 2:

The red reminds us of the blood of patriots and heroes who have died for our freedom.

MC or Scout 3:

The white represents the purity that is in all our hearts and the honor deep inside our soul.

MC or Scout 4:

My 50 stars represent the 50 states, which make up our great nation.

MC or Scout 5:

My blue field stands for truth and justice under God’s heaven, which binds our union together.

MC:

Do not grieve for this flag, for it has served our nation proudly. It is deserving of retirement with the honor and respect, which we now give.

MC:

Honor guard, retire the colors!

(The honor guard now places the flag or pieces of the flag in the fire, lowering the center into the flames and folding the corners inward to the fire. If the flag has been separated, burn the union last)

(Once the flag is completely aflame and the fire begins to burn down)

MC:

Two!

MC:

Honor guard dismissed!

MC:

Pack dismissed!

(after the fire has gone out, collect some ashes to keep for the next ceremony, and secretly bury the remainder of the ashes so that they cannot be desecrated)