Valley City Boy Scouts Troop 560 burns American flags Monday night. Eleven-year-olds Harish Jay and Lucas Jury, right, took leading roles in the ceremonial burning of worn flags at the American Legion’s annual flag burning. (Steve Browne/VCTR) 

By Steve Browne, Valley City Times-Record 

A band of youths gathered Monday night to burn American and North Dakota flags — but they did so with the help and approval of the American Legion.
Boys Scouts troop 560 burned the worn flags and followed flag etiquette that requires flags be burned with honor. Legion honor guard member Ken Evenson said the legion holds similar ceremonies nationwide.
“We do that every June on Flag Day” in Valley City, said Evenson, who is also a city commissioner. “But this year Flag Day fell on a Sunday, so we’re doing it (Monday). ...
“There’s a whole ceremony and it’s in the military book,” Evenson said. “We can’t take the flag and just throw it in there and burn it.”
Evenson said the American Legion conducts the ceremony with the supervision of the fire department.
Two Boy Scouts, Harish Jay and Lucas Jury, both 11, took leading roles in the ceremony.
“I try to get the newest scouts to actually be in the ceremony,” said Duane Stahl, scoutmaster of the troop. “It teaches a little bit about flag etiquette, love for the country and love for our flag.”
Jay has been involved in scouting for three years as a Cub Scout and is now a Boy Scout. Jury has been involved for four years.
Asked what he liked about scouting, Jury said, “Getting to go camping and stuff like that.”
Jay said, “Teamwork.”