Patriotic Sons of America Donates New Flag Disposal Boxes

Written by Nicole Foulke.

After 80-some flags appeared in the hand-crafted American flag disposal box that the Patriotic Order Sons of America (POSOA) donated to the Sheriff’s Office in the Montgomery County Courthouse on June 14, they knew they had to keep expanding their program.

The box, sitting outside of the Sheriff’s Office in Norristown, is emptied each week and every American flag is disposed of properly and patriotically by a Schwenksville boy scout troop. 

The flag disposal box program, spearheaded by the both the Eagleville and Schwenksville chapters of POSOA, has distributed flag disposal boxes to about 10 locations, including the Schwenksville borough hall and an Ace Hardware in Harleysville, said Stan Sarnocinski Jr., both a member of the POSOA Eagleville branch and a national officer.

According to Sarnocinski, most people do not know that the proper way to dispose of an American flag is to have it retired at a ceremony with boy scouts.  As for the Norristown flags, “a Schwenksville troop cuts each stripe and throws it into a fire and disposes of the ashes,” he said.  “It saves on landfills, too.”

The POSOA Schwenksville and Eagleville branches hand-make the boxes and have been working with local boy scouts to dispose of the flags for about four years.  They recently placed a box at the Lowe’s in Hatfield and will soon give one to the Lowe’s in Oaks.

According to Sarnocinski, their Eagleville branch is active in the community, donating flags, and sponsoring an essay contest at Arcola Intermediate School in Eagleville, after which they award a cash prize to the winner.  They give scholarships to local high schools, too.  

“Always support the flag,” said Sarnocinski.  “The flag stands for us, for freedom, and that’s the most important thing.” 

The PSOPA, founded in 1847, is responsible for the creation of Flag Day.  Their national headquarters are in Valley Forge National Historic Park in Valley Forge.