Help sought with holiday flag service
Published 5:00 am Tuesday, May 20, 2008
American Legion Post 12 is helping remember those who gave theirlives in service to our country, and asking volunteers to give alittle time to be a part of Memorial Day commemoration thisyear.
Adjutant Bill Matthews said the group is looking for people tohelp decorate the graves of 700 veterans in Rosehill and Easthavencemeteries on Friday and Saturday this week.
“We’ll be putting the flags on all the graves with the flatmarkers,” he said. “We’ll need volunteer help to put them out.”
The group will meet on Friday at 10 a.m. and then again onSaturday at 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. to accomplish the task, whichMatthews pointed out would not take long if there are plenty ofhelpers.
He said the American Legion does the service to honor theveterans of past and current wars, and to let their families knowthey are not forgotten.
“This is just to show patriotism and thanks to veterans forgiving their time in the service,” he said.
The flags will stay up for two weeks, and will be taken down onSaturday, June 10, at 10 a.m.
“We’ll need volunteers to help with that, too,” Matthewssaid.
He said anyone interested in volunteering can contact members ofPost 12, or they can simply show up on the days of the project.
In addition, Matthews said, the flag project is one in whichanyone can help. He said it could potentially be a good learningtool for children, to impress upon them the sacrifices made bythose in service to America.
“This way they can recognize the veterans and get some feelingabout what it’s all about, for those who gave their lives,” hesaid.
Matthews said anyone interested in helping with the flagplacement can contact him at (601) 833-8435.