A Scout is Reverent. Local Boy Scout Troop 224 honored Trey Pritchard and Jeffrey Grafton recently as they retired American Flags. Assistant Scout Master Jimmy Fretz brought it to the attention of the troop that Pritchard and Grafton were both Scouts as young men. Jeffrey Grafton and Trey Pritchard were both members of Sapulpa troop #505 and earned the rank of Eagle Scout, Scouting’s highest rank. Grafton was also a member of the Boy Scout Honor Society, Order of the Arrow.
Like the community, the boys of the Troop were impacted by the tragedy of the deaths of the two and wanted to pay honor to them in some way. An evening flag retirement seemed fitting. Scouts Nickey Cooper, Joshua Van Deventer, Kaden Jackson, and Nick Lynam along with Scout Master Andrew Lynam and Assistant Jimmy Fretz conducted the ceremony after dark with dignity and respect. It was the first time to retire a flag for some of the younger Scouts, but Eagle Scout Kaden Jackson reminded them gently, “A Scout is Reverent” and immediately they knew what was expected of them during the ceremony. When the ashes cooled the boys retrieved the grommets to present to the families of the fallen men.
Flag retirement is one of the many citizenship and life skills young men learn in Scouting. The training of Boy Scouts is recognized by the United States Military in that those who have attained the rank of Eagle receive an automatic pay grade increase upon enlistment. Boy Scouts is for young men ages 10-18, boys 1st through 5th grade are in Cub Scouts.
If you have an American flag you would like to have properly retired the Troop will be glad to do so for you. Troop 224 meets on Monday nights at 7pm First Presbyterian Church Sapulpa.
