Lake Zurich Scout collects, retires American flags

Justin Katz said the American flag should be seen almost as a living object.

It should be flown and treated with respect. It should not be flown until it falls onto the ground, and it should never be thrown into the garbage.

Katz said a flag that is no longer perfect should be retired. But he acknowledges this is often not the case.

“It's something everybody is supposed to do, but, unfortunately, it doesn't happen enough within our communities,” the Lake Zurich resident said. “I want to not just collect people's flags and retire them, but also raise awareness that this should be done.”

The 17-year-old Katz decided to spearhead an American flag collection as part of his Eagle Scout project. To get the project under way, he began collecting material donations and then recruited fellow Scouts and friends to construct the boxes.

The collection boxes have been distributed to six sites throughout Lake Zurich — one at the police department, one at each of the four fire stations and the last at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, which sponsors the troop.

Katz said he welcomes not only homeowners but also businesses to donate flags.

“I will be glad to retire any of them. I have received flags as big as 8-by-12 feet, and I have received flags as small as 4 inches tall and 6 inches long,” he said.

As part of the project, Katz said he recruited Scouts to organize a collection at the Lake Zurich Jewel, where he received 49 flags to be retired. One flag he received from a former Eagle Scout.

“A gentlemen gave me a flag that was flown over the Capitol building as a gift of congratulations to me for doing my Eagle Scout project. Obviously, that flag will not be retired,” he said. “It was also the 50th flag I received that day, kind of ironic I think.”

John Harlan, Scoutmaster of Troop 92, said what has been as important as collecting the flags is Katz has educated the community. He has handed out pamphlets at the collection sites to inform people how to properly fly and retire the flag.

“People came to us at the collection and said it was nice for someone to tell them what they need to do,” Harlan said.

Katz plans to retire all flags collected at a Feb. 18 ceremony as part of a troop campout. He explains the proper way to retire flags is burning, but it is a detailed process: Someone always must watch the fire; flags must be put into the fire one at a time; and, once burned completely, ashes must be buried where they cannot be disturbed.

“We expect it to take the entire day to retire all the flags we collect,” he said. “It is a time consuming but necessary process.”

But the collection will not end after Katz leads this ceremony. Harlan said the boxes will remain where they are indefinitely so people can continue to donate. Members of the troop will maintain the collection and retire the flags.

Harlan said thanks to Katz's work, not only will the community know there is an alternative to storing their flags in a box or throwing them away, but the troop can look forward to continuing this project and teach how to honor the flag to future generations of Scouts.

“It makes us proud that Justin is giving us an opportunity to teach younger Scouts how to honor the flag and to properly retire one to honor the symbol of our country,” he said.

Giving his community this ongoing opportunity means a lot to Katz.

“The goal of an Eagle Scout project is to leave a lasting impression in your community,” he said. “This will forever be somewhere where someone can fly their flag and retire their flag here,” he said.

Flag collection sites

Flag collection sites

American flags can be brought to these Lake Zurich-area collection sites:

Police Station, 200 Mohawk Trail

Fire Station 1, 321 S. Buesching Road

Fire Station 2, 350 W. Route 22, South Barrington

Fire Station 3, 1075 Old McHenry Road, Lake Zurich

Fire Station 4, 21970 Field Parkway, Deer Park

St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 24500 N. Old McHenry Road, Hawthorn Woods

Source: Justin Katz, Lake Zurich