Flags given a dignified end

The flag burning Sunday was not a protest. Instead - on the day before Veterans Day - members of Cloquet's BSA Scout Troop 171 were observing the United States Flag Code when they officially retired three worn and tattered American flags at Veterans Park in Cloquet.

According to the flag code, a 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."

Scoutmaster Stafano Piazi said the Boy Scouts had a long tradition of holding flag retirement ceremonies, and his troop wanted to do it again for Cloquet.

"We come together to dispose of a flag that is no longer serviceable," read Scout Einar Pawielski. "This flag serves as a reminder of our nation and of those that have defended our freedom. It has served us well."

The group of scouts and their leaders stood at attention as two members opened and then folded an American flag with rips along more than one seam. Then three scouts approached a portable burn pit, each with a folded flag, opening and dropping them in the pit one by one in complete silence.

The cotton flags burned quickly, leaving only metal grommets behind as proof of existence.

Piazi said Troop 171 hopes to hold two ceremonies a year. Eventually, they'd like to set up a box for flags at the end of their useful lives at the Cloquet VFW, but for now folks with flags in poor condition can drop them off at the Pine Knot News, 122 Ave. C, in Cloquet. No synthetic flags please, because those can be hazardous when burned.

"We want to give the public the opportunity to come for these ceremonies," Piazi said. "It's patriotic to fly the flag, but it's important for people to see the end process, too."