Veterans pay tribute to those who fell before them
<p>Craig Gillhall stops to pay tribute to a fellow soldier after marking the grave with a miniature American flag.</p>
PLAINS – Nine volunteers from the VFW Post # 3596 canvassed the grounds of the cemetery in search of America’s heroes in order to pay tribute for their services.
On Wednesday, our local veterans who have passed were honored and commemorated with a miniature flag placed on their graves.
With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, the volunteers placed 418 flags as teams of usually two searched the graveyard with a list in hand of those veterans who are no longer with us.
Graves with different wars could be seen spanning from the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, Korea, Vietnam and WWI and II.
As the volunteers made their way through the grounds, Don Brown reflected on his memories with some of the veterans, which he once knew as the flags were placed in their commemoration. Whether the veteran went to school with Brown himself or was a friend of the family’s, he remembered the times he had spent with them.
Polly Gillhall, chairman of the grave, said the volunteers would spend about two hours placing the flags.
As the weather began to gloom and the rain began to fall, the volunteers were indifferent and remained determined to get a flag on every veteran’s grave.
Craig Gillhall was happy to be doing his part.
“It’s a requirement to be an American,” said Craig as he referred to remembering the veterans.
On May 30, there will be a regiment ceremony for the traditional Memorial Day where all branches will be acknowledged. Following the ceremony, a wreath will be thrown over the bridge and into the river in honor of the Navy.