MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — Each year, about the same time the nation pauses to honor its fallen military comrades, small groups gather on U.S. bases for a different sort of solemn ceremony.

Volunteers follow the strict guidance of U.S. Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, in retiring American flags that have become "no longer a fitting emblem for display."

And the preferred method of destruction might be a surprise to some: The flags are burned.

About 30 minutes before sunset Monday, members of Boy Scout Troop 14 gathered with the U.S. Air Force color guard detail at Misawa Air Base, Japan, to host this year’s ceremony.

Senior Airman Adam Hershey, one of the two color guard members to prepare the flag for retirement Monday, said for him the ceremony was special.

"Not all of us get to attend" this type of ceremony, he said of his fellow military members.

Fellow color guard teammember Senior Airman Amy North organized the event. She said she spent a lot of time researching the ceremony, which she compared to a funeral.

As Hershey and North prepped the flag in a series of deliberate moves, a narrator spoke to the few gathered around the fire.

"Tonight, we are not just burning a flag; we are retiring a symbol of America’s honor, courage and strength," the narrator said.

As the Scouts and their families looked on, North slowly marched the flag to the fire, bending to place it in the flames. She straightened and offered it a final salute.

A total of seven American flags were retired Monday at Misawa.