Wind and rain on a chilly summer evening did not stop Troop 22 from honoring fallen service men. With parkas on and flags in hand, the scouts set out to honor fallen soldiers.
A troop from the Boy Scouts of America went out Tuesday to place flags along the graves of veterans at Beech Grove Cemetery, an early start to Memorial Day.
“We’ve been doing this for about five years,” said Josh Sprague, scout master. “The cemetery calls us and asks if we can do some volunteer service hours, and we are happy to do it for Memorial Day.”
The scout group laid flags near the veterans’ memorials. Their families also participated in the event.
“It gives him a sense of pride,” said Bronson Jones, father of one of the scouts.
“If you take someone and let them participate in an event like this, they can get a better understanding of what Memorial Day really is.”
Hundreds of flags were used during the event. The scouts walked up and down the rows of stones placing the flags near the memorial stones of men and women who served the country.
“It gives us more hands-on learning instead of just being told about memorial day,” said Bronson’s son Brendon Jones, who has been a scout for three years. “My grandfather was in the armed forces, this makes Memorial Day more important to me.”
As the scouts place flags in the rain, many of the parents and leaders tell the scouts about the importance of Memorial Day, and the stories of their relatives that had served.
Not all in attendance were part of the scouts, but volunteered to help with the event.
“It is not about me, it about these men and women. They’re the ones that made it possible for me to be here,” said Michael Reynolds, serviceman in the First Infantry Division and Seventh Army for 31 years.
“They gave their today for me to have a tomorrow. More often than not, that's what people do not understand.”
Reynolds said he has been volunteering and participating in the Memorial Day event for 13 years.
“I think it helps them to understand. It brings them to where the soldiers that have served, are now at rest,” said Michael Miller, superintendent of Beech Grove Cemetery. “It’s a time where we honor those that have fallen, and respect those that still serve.”
Contact Megan Boeck with comments at meboeck@bsu.edu.