A few months ago we told you about the new flag retirement pit and drop box at the Buda Veterans Memorial off of Main Street at Bradfield Park. The drop box is now permanently bolted down and you can drop off any flags that you want retired.
This was part of 16-year-old Kameron Welma's Eagle Scout project. His assignment was to construct a Flag Retirement Burn Pit at the Buda Veterans Memorial.This project will help Kameron become an Eagle Scout.
With help from the community, the 16-year-old was able to make the flag retirement fire pit a reality.
“I just wanted to improve the community," said Welma.
The idea came to Kameron as a cub scout. White conducting a flag retirement ceremony behind a fire station in a barbecue pit, he thought there should be a place to respectfully retire the red, white, and blue.
“There are many steps that are involved in retiring a flag. You cannot just cut it up and throw it into a fire. You actually have to cut the grommets off which hold the flag on. Then you have to do the stars and then cut each individual stripe.”
Not that the flag drop box is permanently bolted down, you will be able to drop off flags that you wanted retired.
“If you have an old retired flag that needs to be properly retired you can come and drop it off at the drop box.”
This project will help Kameron reach Eagle Scout status.
“When you first get into the Boyscouts, you start as a no rank and then it is Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle.”
As for the future, Kameron plans to dedicate his life to service…
“I want to be an EMT first responder because I love helping the community out.”
And the City of Buda is thankful to Kameron and everyone who made this project possible…
“Now knowing that in my community there is place to properly retire the U.S. Flag, it makes me feel a whole lot better.”
We have included a video version of the story here: Flag Retirement Burn Pit and Drop Box VIDEO. This video was shot and was originally posted in November of 2018.
