A Final Tribute: Scouts Retire Worn-Out American Flags

November 2025, Hillsborough, NJ - On a crisp November evening, members of Hillsborough’s Boy Scout Troop 1776 gathered at Singley Park for a solemn and meaningful flag retirement ceremony. Thousands of American flags that had flown proudly over homes, businesses, and public buildings, but had since become worn, torn, or faded, were respectfully retired in accordance with the U.S. Flag Code.

The event was also closely tied to the Troop’s annual service of placing fresh American flags on approximately 700 veterans’ graves at Mill Lane Cemetery and Neshanic Cemetery for Memorial Day. Throughout the year, families donate flags that are no longer suitable for display, knowing they will be retired with full honors. This year, the Troop retired 5,951 flags. The flag retirement ceremony was headed by Scout Advaith Gaddam and Assistant Scoutmaster Mr. Jiang and Scoutmaster Mr. O'Brien. Approximately 30 scouts and families participated in the ceremony.

Overall, the Ceremony went very well and as the last flags were being burned, we remember that the flag itself might fray and tear, but what it stands for doesn’t burn. As the poem Old Glory states, “When the flag becomes old and faded, retire the flag from its duties only to replace it with a new flag so that it may continue to symbolize our country.”

Contact info@bsa1776.org for more information about Troop 1776.