Local Boy Scout Troop Has Stars & Stripes Flying Across City
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TARRANT COUNTY (CBS 11 NEWS) - The Boy Scouts of America have a patriotic tradition on Presidents Day – and several other holidays throughout the year. Troop 103 of Keller showed CBS 11 News where and why they took on the project.
"It's important to remember our country's past," said Dardan Ismaili, an Eagle Scout with Troop 103.
Fellow Eagle Scout Cole Davis agreed. "We're proud to be in America and happy that we get to display our flag."
Davis and Ismaili have participated in the project for several years. It's an annual fundraiser for Troop 103, and several other Boy Scout troops across North Texas.
For a fee (it varies by troop), scouts will take on the job of setting up flags for a day, unfurling them, taking them down and storing them until their next use.
"We started knocking on doors and leaving letters on the front porch with our phone number," explained Scout Master Kyle Davis. "People would call and it just kind of expanded from there. They tell their neighbors."
Troop 103 charges $40 a year for flag service on seven days: Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, September 11th, and Veterans Day.
Active since 2009, the troop now has around 50 families who participate in the flag program.
In the Harmonson Farms neighborhood, a flag flies outside Stephanie Diers' home. "It just looks so nice to see all the flags out on every patriotic holiday," she said. "It kind of makes us feel more sense of community."
The money from the fundraiser goes to support troop activities. The scouts also get to use some of the funds for summer camp.
Most of all, Scout Master Davis says, it teaches the young men respect. The troop learns flag etiquette early on. "We're proud of our flag and proud to be in America. We're happy that we get to display the flag."
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