HARLINGEN, Texas May 5, 2017 – A Marine Military Academy cadet built a much-needed flag retirement receptacle for his Eagle Scout leadership service project. The wooden drop box will be permanently housed inside the Iwo Jima Museum & Gift Shop so the community has a place to leave tattered and/or faded U.S. flags. Sophomore Bryan Streiff of Nevada City, Calif., gifted his receptacle to the museum April 25.
Because he is both an MMA cadet and Eagle Scout candidate, the patriotic teenager decided to make an attractive container where worn U.S. flags could be left and stored with more dignity.
“Most people keep old American flags in trash bags until they are ready to be retired, but I think this is a more respectable way to hold them,” Streiff said. “Almost anywhere you go in the country, it’s hard to find a flag receptacle. There’s a need for this.”
Streiff will officially earn the rank of Eagle Scout in mid-May. After he graduates from MMA, he plans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps and then study political science at the University of Oregon. He is the son of Nanette and Robert Streiff.
Marine Military Academy is a college-preparatory boarding school for young men in grades 8-12 with an optional post-graduate year. Since 1965, MMA is the only private school in the world based on the traditions and values of the U.S. Marine Corps. Located in Harlingen, Texas, MMA has been home to thousands of sons from across the world and is quarters to the historic Iwo Jima Monument. To learn more about MMA, visit MMA-TX.org.