In the 1940s, she and her grandmother would head out to clean and decorate the graves of veterans, as well as non-veterans.
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Ervin said he is disappointed that Memorial Day has become so merchandised and trivialized by many people in recent years.
This year both the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts had trailers in the Allen Park Memorial Day Parade to carry members who had difficulty walking the lengthy distance.
Now on this Memorial Day weekend the American Legion Post 472 has truly built a road to remember for service members past, present and future. “The flag placement and flag retirement ceremonies are becoming an appropriate tradition”.
Ellicott asked those in attendance to remember not only those who failed to make it home from overseas, but also those veterans who made it home but suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and have considered or committed suicide, as well as those veterans who are homeless. Flags will remain at the graves for one week and then will be removed by volunteers.
Though many took time to praise Thomas Saturday for her unwavering dedication to the flag-planting event, she was quick to shift the focus.
“That got to me a little bit”, he said.
Jim Swain, family service counselor at Cedar Memorial, said two different set of flags are now flying in the cemetery; the smaller ones on each grave and about 1,500 larger flags that line the roadways.
10:45 a.m. – Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by the tennis courts at Veterans Memorial Park, Bay City. Volunteers are needed to help with that effort.
“We cam because we wanted to show our support for veterans and our community”, Marebelle Cano said.
There is no admission charge for the program that will honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces in the past and those now stationed around the world. “It brings the realization to me that it doesn’t matter where you are when it happens”.
In New Jersey, we continue to help mitigate the challenges our veterans face and deliver upon our mission by organizing multiple events throughout the year to support veterans and their families in civilian life. “We love doing this”. “They gave something for us, so we’re giving something back to them”. In the early days of the cemetery there were wooden grave markers as well as stone and numerous wooden markers have been destroyed over the years by fires and the elements leaving the cemetery with many unknown graves.
Historic, musical and traditional Memorial Day weekend events will be held around the Mother Lode region, take your pick.
They remind veterans of their shipmates and battle buddies, he said, and of their old selves, he said.
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“These (veterans) were willing to sacrifice for and serve their country”, she said.
