Girl Scout Troop 30131 recently retired a tattered and unserviceable American flag that had flown over and was donated by Diamond Hills Sports Club and Spa. The troop retired the frayed flag at an evening campfire ceremony.

A flag retirement ceremony is a patriotic, moving and solemn event. It can be officially performed by only three organizations: the U.S. military, Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.

First, the girls unfurled the flag, carefully making sure it did not touch the ground. Holding the flag taut at waist level, they then cut out the blue field of stars to separate it from the red and white stripes. One by one they removed the red and white stripes from the flag.

When all the colors were removed, each girl carefully placed a stripe in the fire after their troop leader recited the names of each of the original 13 colony names in the order they joined the union. After all of the red and white stripes were retired, the field of stars was placed in the fire.

While the flag was being consumed, the troop leader recited the names of all 50 states of the Union in the order of their establishment. After the entire American flag was officially retired following the proper etiquette, the troop leader recited “I Am the Flag,” a moving poem about patriotism and respect for Old Glory.

Since the recent ceremony, Troop 30131 has received five additional American flags designated for retirement. If you have a tattered flag that needs to be properly retired, e-mail gstroop30131@yahoogroups.com.