With the help of eight young Sea Scouts, more than 500 American flags were retired Saturday morning at Memorial Park Cemetery in Gainesville.

The retirement is a military tradition, allowing American flags that are worn or tattered to be disposed of in a respectful manner.

The assistant district commissioner for scouting in Gainesville, Charlie DeSaussane, was there to oversee the Sea Scouts.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve done a retirement, but they’ve done quite a few,” he said, of the scouts.

DeSaussane introduced and instructed the ceremony procedure while the boys did all the heavy lifting.

“Each one of the boys has a role in the ceremony,” he said. “They all will read part of the script and participate in the folding and cutting.”

One ceremonial flag is carefully cut into four pieces. The flag then is burned, often perplexing people unfamiliar with the tradition.

But that step is not to be confused with the antagonistic ritual of flag-burning, a symbol of disrespect, noted veteran Larry Emmett, a past commander of the American Legion Post 7 in Gainesville.

“That’s why it’s important to call it flag retirement, not flag burning,” he said.

Present at the ceremony were several other veterans who were acknowledged at the beginning by DeSaussane, who also is a veteran.

“We have given our lives to protect this flag ... and you should remember this,” Emmett said to the scouts.

Scout John Marshall, scissors in hand, was careful not to cut the stars, which would be symbolically rupturing the union, tradition says.

Once the ceremony was complete, the scouts gathered the 500-plus flags.

“It’s very important that we treat these flags with respect even though they’re tattered,” Emmett stressed as the scouts unloaded and carried the trash bags, bulging with flags in varying degrees of wear and tear.

DeSaussane said a lot of people might improperly dispose of their flags simply because they’re not aware a proper procedure exists.

“Even the smallest flag, if it’s in disrepair — ripped, torn, faded — it should be retired,” DeSaussane said.

“Anyone can bring flags out to the barrels at the American Legion for proper retirement,” veteran and American Legion 7 commander Dave Dellinger said.

He said it can be hard to cut and burn the flags properly, even knowing the procedure.

“They don’t really burn, so much as melt. It usually takes a long time for them to fully burn,” he said.

The ashes of the flags will be spread on veterans’ graves at Memorial Park and the newly renovated American Legion Post 7 lakeside pavilion, Dellinger said.