A private flag retirement ceremony witnessed by 43 people Tuesday evening in a quiet Bismarck park just may have been the first of its kind in North Dakota, according to organizers.

The event was held with Boy Scout Troop 6 from First Presbyterian Church who learned proper flag retirement etiquette from Joel Gustafson and troop scoutmaster Mark Zimmerman.

With scouts each holding a corner, the flags were held over an open campfire to officially retire them with an open burning. "We wanted to show the boys the United States code to flag retirement," Gustafson said. "Our goal was to share a little bit about flag etiquette at this time in our country's history and to share it with the scouts and their parents."

There were eight flags retired at the ceremony in the fresh snow covering General Sibley Park in south Bismarck. The park was specially opened for the event courtesy of the Bismarck Parks and Recreation Department. Most of the flags at the ceremony were old and collected by Gustafson, except for a small one that he found on a city street. "I found it on the (Bismarck) Expressway and had to stop my car to pick it up," Gustafson said.

Zimmerman said 16 scouts from Troop 6, the state's oldest troop, participated. He also said a scouting requirement for the Tenderfoot badge is to participate in a flag retirement ceremony. "It's something for the boys to remember," he said. "And I know it meant something to them."

Gustafson said flag usage and etiquette are important, but when a flag becomes old it's important to retire it in a respectful and meaningful way. "When a flag is faded, frayed, ripped or soiled, it needs to be retired," he said. "If it doesn't look as bright and fresh as the spirit of America, it needs to be retired." If people want to "retire" their old flags, Gustafson said to call him at 221-5898 and he will see to it that each flag is retired according to the U.S. code.

Another aspect of the ceremony came at the end when Zimmerman gathered ashes and put them in a can. He said the ashes are then put into the troop's next campfire. "It's a fun thing because all the memories in past campfires are in the new fire."