I am part of our American flag that has flown over the U.S.A. I can no longer fly. The sun and winds have caused me to become tattered and torn. Please carry me as a reminder that you are not forgotten

As many of you know, flags aren’t build to last forever. Over time, they can become worn out, frayed, faded, and will eventually need to be replaced. According to the Flag Code, when the time of flag retirement comes, flags should be retired in a respectful and dignified way, preferably by burning or burying.

However, there’s another option for your tattered and worn-out American flags. Any American Flag can be shipped and donated to Stars for our Troops, where a single flag can honor 50 troops around the world who have served or are currently serving.

How It Works

The Stars for our Troops program is a group of volunteers that are patriotic, who takes your old, tattered, and worn-out American Flags and turns them into a prized possession for an American Soldier at home, on base, or overseas. Volunteers lovingly cut each embroidered star from the flag, dispose of the stripes properly, and place each star into a tiny plastic bag with a card to be shipped out.

The card reads:

“I am part of our American flag that has flown over the U.S.A. I can no longer fly. The sun and winds have caused me to become tattered and torn. Please carry me as a reminder that you are not forgotten”.

How Can You Help?

One way to help is to send in your old American Flags (the ones with embroidered stars about 2” across). They will be cleaned and packaged as each star makes its way to an American Soldier. Since the Stars for our Troops project began in 2010, they have received over 50,000 usable flags! A minimum of 300 usable cantons are needed each month just to fill orders. If you don’t have any old flags to send in, you can still help by donating. Here is what your money could help do:

$50 – supplies to create, and mail, 50 Stars to a Veteran or First Responder

$75 – supplies to create, and mail, 100 Stars to a current Service Member

$100 – mails 15 packages of Stars to our military and veterans

$250 – supplies for 1,000 stars

For more information and instructions on how to send in your flags, please check out their website. You can also ship in or drop off any flag to our Eagle Mountain Flag and Flagpole location. We are happy to help with your donation!