The success of Wright City’s Flag Retirement ceremony is attracting attention across Missouri.Wright City Parks Director Curt Kehoe and Patriot Packages coordinator Robert Braendle recently met with Missouri National Guard officials in Jefferson City to discuss the Wright City flag program.During the meeting, the two men were asked to help National Guard officials put on a Flag Day event in Joplin which could be replicated in other communities throughout the state.Weeks later, Kehoe pulled an all-nighter to get to Joplin between other commitments and helped conduct a Flag Day program based on the one he has built and nurtured over the past eight years.In addition to flag collection and retirement by fire, Wright City’s program has grown to include broad-based community involvement, with Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops and 4-H members playing key roles in the ceremony along with other organizations and residents.“So many communities have given up on doing any special flag retirement events on Flag Day,” said Kehoe. “We’re proving there’s still a very strong drive among people to do this.”Wright City’s program has grown to such an extent that this year Kehoe and the parks department and its partners collected 250 American flags for retirement from people near and far throughout the year.A huge part of the success of the Wright City program has been the involvement of youth organizations like the scouts and 4-H, as well as veterans groups.“Every organization has its own way of doing things, so our challenge has been to identify specific aspects of the program that each organization can ‘own.’”For example, Boy Scouts have taken charge of the Color Guard that introduces each flag retirement ceremony around Flag Day in June.Girl Scouts and 4-H members read aloud an explanation of the colors, stars and stripes of the flag and the symbolism of each fold in a flag folded in military style.Kehoe orchestrated all parts to make it easy for participants to step in and play a role during the ceremony.Braendle and Kehoe originally made the trip to visit with National Guard leaders in Jefferson City to obtain the names of all local men and women in combat in order to make sure each receives Patriot Packages.Warren County-based Patriot Packages sends packages to deployed men and women in 135 countries. The packages are shipped from the Warrenton Armory.“Recently, Girl Scout leaders who have sons and daughters deployed asked us to make sure we place a priority on sending packages to our local combat soldiers,” said Kehoe.The packages include stars cut from retired flags sent as emblems of support from home. Combat soldiers wear the stars on their flak vests or keep them in their pockets as good luck charms.In addition to stars, items shipped include canned meat, popcorn, Slim Jims, snack bars, chewing gum, socks and letters from home and the community.“Company commanders have embraced them for morale, and soldiers embrace them because they see that people at home remember them and have their backs,” Braendle remarked.

Involving National Guard Youth ProgramThe Missouri National Guard was intrigued with the idea of involving its youth program in a statewide grassroots Flag Day effort based on the Wright City model. The Missouri National Guard Youth Program supports children of National Guard members.State National Guard leaders invited Kehoe to travel to Joplin to advise them during a Flag Day event in that community June 14.Since Wright City had held its own ceremonies the previous Saturday, Kehoe was eager to go, working in the trip between preparations for a special night at T.R. Hughes Ballpark to honor Dylan Schell, a local resident who was involved in a car crash.Schell threw out the first pitch during the game, and before the Joplin trip, Kehoe hustled to get a new uniform made for the boy, who was wearing his when the accident happened.Kehoe drove to Joplin, then straight back for the Rascals game that evening.“I didn’t get a lot of sleep,” he said.Kehoe said the Joplin event was fulfilling to see.“They had stations for the kids to do arts and crafts for the troops,” he said. “Like our program, they could write letters, send pictures and make crafts to include in packages sent to combat soldiers from their area.”The Girl Scouts donated a skid of Girl Scout cookies to be packaged and sent overseas with other items.“The kids made stickers to go on the front of the cookie boxes, which is the kind of touch we’re trying to give through our programs — that people back home truly care,” Kehoe said.Kehoe said he is extremely excited to have these homegrown programs embraced by the Missouri National Guard and at the prospect that they will be replicated all over the state.

A member of Boy Scout Troop 835 approaches the pit to properly dispose of a retired American Flag. The annual event was held Saturday, June 8, at Diekroeger Park in Wright City. It was organized by the Wright City Parks Department. Members of Cub Scout Pack 835, Girl Scout troops 1907, 1204 and 3115 as well as Brownie Troop 3451 also participated.