Another Oskaloosa Scout Seeking Highest Rank
Brody Barnhart stands with one of his flag collection boxes. This one is at the Mahaska County Environmental Learning Center. The other is at the VFW facility in Oskaloosa.
May 24th, 2022
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Another Oskaloosa Scout member has been working his way towards the organization’s highest honor.
Brody Barnhart will be a senior at Oskaloosa High School this coming year, but he’s already impacted the Oskaloosa community with his flag boxes.
Barnhart joined the Scouts while in kindergarten as a tiger cub because he had friends in the organization.
Barnhart was always interested in the outdoors and has evolved.
Eventually, Barnhart desired to earn the rank of Eagle Scout because that indicates that the scout has given all to his community and scouting troop. “You just make sure you were dedicated through all of it, even through the rough times of joining high school and other sports.”
“That’s the reward for me,” says Barnhart of the Eagle Scout designation. “Once I get it [Eagle Scout], it’s like I know that I put a lot of hard work into it, and I think it’ll give me the satisfaction that I got it.”
Barnhart said on his selection of the flag boxes, “Ever since I was little, I don’t know, I always liked red, white, and blue.”
Then as I grew older, I realized that many flags around town that we’re still flying probably shouldn’t be flying anymore and probably need to retire,” Barnhart added. “I started talking to people, and I realized that it was because a lot of people didn’t know why or how to retire their flags or where to go because a lot of people just weren’t informed on that.
The VFW and other military organizations hold flag destruction ceremonies that respectfully retire US Flags.
Throwing them away after the flag has become worn is disgraceful. Helping to educate and provide a service that allows people to dispose of their flags properly is something Barnhart hoped to accomplish.
The new boxes are weatherproof and easily accessible by those driving up to them.
Barnhart will help the VFW during their Flag Day ceremony on June 14th, 2022, in which members of the military, past and present, destroy worn flags during a ceremony.
