Courts of Honor and Ceremonies

LEAD 2018 (DECADE)Harrison Freck, Troop 73 Alameda Council

Courts of Honor

● Kinds of Courts of Honor

○ Troopwide

○ Eagle Scout Court of Honor

○ Venturing Courts of Honor

● Unit Schedule

○ Quarterly, bi-annually

Planning Ahead

● The Troop Parent Committee will set the calendar either six months or a year

in advance to determine the best time for a Court of Honor.

● The Troop Patrol Leader Council will determine at least a month before the

Court of Honor which Scouts will:

○ be in the Color Guard,

○ who will call commands for the flag ceremony,

○ who will give the Invocation and Benediction,

○ and who will be the masters of ceremony

Scripts and Agendas

● There are a variety of ceremony agendas that are particular to each unit but

typically they follow the below pattern: ○ Invocation

○ Opening flags

○ Call to order

○ [refreshments]

○ Scout Oath

○ Scout Law - with one candle for each of the twelve points

○ Awards ceremony - where each Scout is recognized for his achievements

○ Closing flags

○ Benediction

○ [refreshments]

Who Attends

● All Scouts and adult leaders should be present at the Court of Honor (in full

uniform if they have them).

● Family members are welcome (especially if they bring food!)

Amenities

● Typically, a Court of Honor will include a troop potluck, provided by parents of

Scouts. This can be anything from a full dinner to just a few a desserts.

● You may want to put up banners or small flags along the walls and decorate

the tables in your meeting place to fit the occasion.

Eagle Scout Courts of Honor

● These are very special occasions, not only for the new Eagle

Scout but for his family and the whole troop.

● The troop leadership and the new Eagle Scout should work

together several weeks or months before the date of the

ceremony.

Eagle Scout Courts of Honor

● The new Eagle Scout should be involved in every

step of the planning process, including personally

asking mentors to speak, finding a suitable date for

the ceremony, and approving the list of guests.

● Sometimes for a group of Scouts that achieves

Eagle around the same time, a troop decides to

have a single ceremony for several boys at once.

Eagle Scout Courts of Honor: Publicity

● It is key to get the word out early about the impending Eagle Court of Honor,

and you may want to announce it in your local newspapers and religious

organizations.

● Be sure to emphasize the who, what, when, where, why and how. If you are

taking out ads in the local newspaper, keep those six points in mind.

Eagle Scout Courts of Honor: Agenda

● Typical Eagle Courts will include an invocation, speeches by troop members

and mentors of the new Eagle Scout, the Scout Oath and Law (with the

lighting of the candles), the reciting of the Eagle Scout Challenge, and finally a

benediction.

Flag Ceremonies

● Several different kinds of ceremonies include a respectful presentation of the

colors. These include everything from regular troop meetings to courts of

honor to public events like, for example, ACS Relay for Life or the dedication

of a library.

● Each Color Guard must have a commander, a Scout who gives instructions to

the Color Guard to perform the flag ceremony.

● The Color Guard should be well practiced and prepared.

Flag Retirement

● Many units receive old, tattered American flags that they are asked to retire.

● If your unit already has a collection of retirement-worthy American flags, the

best way to perform the ceremony is to do it on an overnight outing where

you are allowed to build a fire in the campsite.

● After the ceremony, it is customary for someone to stand guard over the fire

until it burns out.

● In the morning, the grommets should be dug out of the fire-pit and buried in

separate locations away from the campsite.

Flag Retirement

● There are a variety of ways in which the flag can be lowered onto the fire:

○ Two or four Scouts, one on each corner of the flag, to lower it onto the

fire, on either side of the pit.

○ A flag is lowered (slowly) on a stick or a rod into the fire.

○ One Scout drops the folded flag into the fire.

Flag Retirement

● At a flag retirement ceremony, the color guard commander should ask all in

attendance to salute the flag as it is lowered into the fire and consumed.

● Before the flag is retired, as the attendees salute, the color guard commander

should ask all present to join him/her in the flag’s last Pledge of Allegiance.

● Either before or after the flag is retired, it is appropriate for a Scout to present

a short speech commemorating the American flag and what it represents.

● It is also appropriate to sing a song that honors the flag as a symbol of

founding American principles (such as the song “America”).

Summary

● Courts of Honor celebrate the achievements of troops and individual Scouts,

and should be held on a regular basis (quarterly, three times or twice a year).

● Ceremonies, especially flag ceremonies, involve discipline, leadership and a

respect for the flag that speaks well of a unit’s cohesion and preparedness as

a whole.

Thank you!

Resources

● Troop Resources: http://www.programresources.org/troop-courts-of-honor/

● Eagle Scout Court of Honor Publicity Tips:

http://slideplayer.com/slide/4528981/

● Flag retirement ceremony ideas:

http://www.macscouter.com/ceremony/Flag_retirement.asp