Teen Opens Drop Box for Worn American Flags

Only Boy Scouts and U.S. Military are trained to properly retire an American flag.

But not all people flying a U.S. Flag have direct access to those organizations. That's a problem Zachary Evenwel, 18, set out to solve for his Eagle Scout Project.

Evenwel, a senior at Countryside High School, recently had an American flag drop box installed in front of the the National Armed Services & Law Enforcement Memorial Museum (NASLEMM) on Douglas Avenue in Dunedin. People can drop their shabby or worn American flags in the box any time and rest easy knowing it will be retired properly.

Evenwel got the idea from one he saw in Chicago before he moved to the area seven years ago and from talking to people who didn't know what to do with their old American flags.

He began planning his project about a year ago.

Evenwel, of Troop 135 in Clearwater, worked with Bill Douglas, the museum director, to have Dunedin-Palm Harbor VFW Post 2550 ensure that flags dropped in the box are retired. 

Almost all the materials needed to complete the project were donated by area businesses and work was completed by friends, family and church members. 

Vision ACE Hardware in Dunedin; Home Depot on U.S. 19 and Chip’s Paintless Dent Removal in Clearwater; and East Bay Cleaners and EliteDesigns in Safety Harbor helped Evenwel with his project.

Evenwel plans to attend University of South Florida and go into the Navy ROTC program. He has an interest in a career in the U.S. Marines.

For museum information visit www.naslemm.com or call 727-734-0700.