NATCHEZ — Scouts laid tattered, worn and faded American flags to rest in a fire in a flag retirement ceremony at Copiah-Lincoln Community College Saturday morning.

Smoke rose toward the sky as Boy, Girl and Cub Scouts carried approximately 60 flags held against their chests to Eagle Scout Robert Hargon who laid the flags on the fire and saluted each one.

Hargon, 20, said the ceremony teaches scouts respect for their American heritage.

“It shows respect for our one true national treasure, the American flag, and it shows respect to our veterans and what has been paid for our freedom,” he said.

Former Troop 168 Assistant Scoutmaster and Air Force veteran Mark LaFrancis said the U.S. Flag Code says flags should be retired in a solemn ceremony where they can be burned respectfully. He said scouts collect flags from community members and bring them to the ceremony.

“It’s an essential element of scouting,” he said. “They learn a little bit more about the flag and how it should be respected.”

Casey Shows, 12, said the ceremony is the right way to retire a flag.

“This is a way of retiring a torn-up flag the right way,” he said. “We don’t just trash it, we show it respect since it represents our country and our freedom.”

Shana Hargon had scouts from her Girl Scout Troop 5760 and Cub Scout Pack 168 out at the ceremony. She said it was a lot of the scouts’ first time to see the ceremony.

“One of the most important things we teach them is respect for their country and respect for the flag,” she said.

The ceremony was Halie Collins’ first time to carry flags in a retirement ceremony.

“I was excited to see it,” the 6-year-old Girl Scout said. “The fire was really hot.”

Troop 168’s Scoutmaster Ricky Warren said patriotism is an essential part of scout code, and it really sinks in for scouts once they see the ceremony.

“We teach them what the flag means, but once they see how we properly dispose of the flags and how honorable it is, it really sinks in for them,” he said.

Warren said it’s important for people in Natchez to have a place to bring their flags so they can be respectfully and gracefully retired.

“A lot of people just take them and throw them away because they don’t know what to do with them,” he said.

Warren’s 4-year-old grandson, Brent, also participated in the ceremony.

“If you start them at a young age, they have more respect for the flag and what it stands for, and it’s not just a piece of cloth,” he said.

Ten-year-old Cub Scout Noah Ferrington said being respectful to the flag is the most important thing.

“It’s important to be respectful because the Army is out there, and they’re fighting, and some of them are dying,” he said.