Over the past several weeks, our scouts have been learning about community, being a good neighbor, and American flag etiquette. Our Wolf and Bear dens, which include 2nd and 3rd graders, held a flag retirement ceremony on January 27. Many members of the community donated worn and faded American flags, which have proudly flown in our area, to our pack to be retired appropriately.

Cubmaster, Brian Hurt, led members of the Wolf Den in properly folding the flag and preparing it for disposal by burning it and burying the ashes. The scouts were reminded of the honor that our flag holds, as well as the respect it deserves. Each scout in attendance was given the opportunity to personally retire a flag.

Meanwhile, our older scouts, who are Arrow of Light (AOL) and BSA members, were busy carefully cutting embroidered stars from flags to be retired, as part of the Stars for Our Troops program. These stars will be sent to military service members as tokens of appreciation for their times of service.

In total, Jonesboro Pack 523 retired 142 flags and sent 46 star panels. More importantly, these youth gained hands-on experience and a new level of respect for our flag and troops that will not soon be forgotten.