A Frisco teenager is spending his Memorial Day weekend taking steps to honor the American flag by collecting old and frayed flags and preparing to properly retire them.
Carson Backus, a graduating senior from Frisco’s Reedy High School, is already an Eagle Scout. He’s now working toward the rank of Quartermaster in the Sea Scouts.
His project involved collecting unserviceable American flags, then burning them in a ceremony, the preferred method to retire them, according to the U.S. flag code.
“It means a lot to a lot of people, so it’s not something you should just throw away,” Backus said.
Since he started his flag collection Memorial Day weekend, he’s collected 90 flags -- surpassing his goal of 50 flags. He now aims to collect 175 unserviceable flags.
“The flag has a lot of meaning to me because I was born right before 9/11. It definitely has a lot to do with how I’ve been raised,” Backus said.
Backus’ father is a retired Air Force veteran. Backus, himself, is heading into the service. He is moving to Kings Point, New York this July to attend the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. After graduation, he hopes to join the U.S. Coast Guard.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
“I’ve always wanted to help others and I want to be able to save lives,” Backus said.
Backus is planning a socially distanced ceremony for Flag Day on June 14, where he will teach younger scouts how to properly retire flags at the end of their service.
“It’s an entity that deserves respect, it’s not just a piece a cloth,” Backus said.
Backus said those with flags that are torn, faded or frayed can drop them off at Frisco Fire Department stations 1, 7, 8 and 9.
