HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Mathew Burnham with Troop 3013 in Hopkinsville recently completed an Eagle Scout project that supplies the community with places to properly dispose of damaged or tattered flags by establishing American flag retirement boxes around the city.

Burnham has been a scout for nearly 12 years, slowly building up to his Eagle Scout project since he started in first grade. He told Christian County Now that the idea for this particular project came stemmed from going out into the community and finding something there was a need for.

“One day I was driving around after school, and I saw a flag sitting on top of a trash can outside of a house and knew something had to be done to solve this issue,” said Burnham. “I hope that these boxes will teach the community about how to properly handle tattered and damaged flags so they can learn about scouts and how we properly retire the flags.”

His initial plan was just to put a box in the lobby at Kentucky Veteran Cemetery West since he has relatives buried there. The idea expanded, leading him to place a box at the Hopkinsville Visitors Center, and at the Hopkinsville Fire Station Headquarters at 112 Phillip Meacham Way.

“We feel fortunate to be selected as a location, it’s something that we’re often asked about, so what better place than our HQ,” said Payton Rogers with HFD. The marked wooden boxes are located outside of these facilities, with easy access to the community. When the boxes are full, the scouts will properly dispose of the flags.

Visit Hopkinsville was also blown away and honored to receive a box. Upon meeting Burnham and his scoutmaster, they could feel the sense of community pride that inspired the project. “It was just an honor that this young man thought of us and had such a wonderful idea for a project,” said Ginnie Pruitt with Visit Hopkinsville. “We love that we have such a close connection with Ft. Campbell, and we will do anything to keep it that way. Our soldiers, retired and active, make this town thrive and we are so grateful for each and every one of them.”

The plaque on the outside of the boxes reads, “We will gladly accept your worn and tattered flags to be properly retired with honor and respect.” The BSA news website dictates that they are one of a few organizations that have an official code for flag retirement through a ceremony where the flags are burned with dignity and respect.

| DON’T MISS A STORY: Click here to sign up for our free weekly email newsletter