Eagle Scout takes flag to heart




Dustin Prayther and his fabulous US flag retirement drop box

Dustin Prayther and his fabulous US flag retirement drop box

Dustin Prayther and his fabulous US flag retirement drop box photo by Courtesy image.My name is Dustin Prayther and I am 16 years old. I started scouting in 2007 with

Valley Center Cub Scout Pack 619. I am now a Life Scout in Valley Center Boy Scout Troop 619. I am working toward earning the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in scouting.

One of the most important activities I learned in scouting has to do with the American flag. I learned that there are only a few organizations in the entire world that are allowed to properly retire the American Flag. Boy Scouts of America is one of them.

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to be a part of retiring quite a few American Flags. When I retire a flag, it makes me feel patriotic.

I came up with the idea for my Eagle Scout Project a couple of years ago. I was at the Lilac Fire Station working on a merit badge. I was given a box of old, worn flags. I was told that people in the community dropped them off at the fire station, thinking they could retire them.

They just kept them, because they can’t officially retire the flags. It was then that I decided to create a Flag Retirement Drop Box for the community.

Residents of Valley Center:

Please don’t throw out your old, worn or torn U.S. American flags. Now, there is a place you can take them, and Boy Scout Troop 619 will make sure they are retired properly.

The Flag Retirement Drop Box is at the community center/baseball fields. A special thank you to the Valley Center Parks & Recreation District for providing the space to do my Eagle Scout Project.

If you have any comments or would like more information, please contact us at www.troop619.org.


*Note: Opinions expressed by columnists and letter writers are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the newspaper.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *