Matthew Miller, a 12-year-old Boy Scout from Pike Road's Troop 8, is embarking upon an ambitious Eagle Scout project. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, his goal is to collect at least 100 of the most respected symbol of the United States: the American flag. Miller's family's Air Force background inspired him to begin collecting old, worn-out flags.
Miller has lived all over the world and currently resides in Montgomery, Alabama, where his lieutenant colonel father attends Air War College on Maxwell Air Force Base.
Since my dad is in the military, we move around a lot and I've seen the American flag flying in lots of different places, like Hawaii and Japan…Also the American flag is an important symbol of our nation and we should treat it with respect, just like someone who is serving the nation," Miller told the Montgomery Advertiser.
Not only is Miller close to accomplishing his end goal – as of Feb. 20, he received 81 flags from all over the U.S. – but he has also learned the right way to dispose of it. The American flag is respected because it stands for freedom and symbolizes patriotism. When an American flag is worn-down, it should never be tossed aside or carelessly burned. Properly disposing of an old flag is known as retiring and should be done so with dignity. You can either donate, recycle or burn it, according to Scouting Magazine. When retiring a flag, it must be folded into a triangle and burned until it is reduced to ashes. Miller plans to conduct a ceremony to properly retire the flags he has collected at a ceremony at St. James United Methodist Church in April.