Scouts adorn veterans' graves with American flags at Memorial Park Cemetery

To commemorate Memorial Day, scouts placed more than 4,000 American flags on veterans’ graves at Memorial Park Cemetery in McCandless.

It’s a tradition for Boy Scout Troop 329 — which meets at Memorial Park Church — that dates back more than 50 years, said Brian Collery, who serves as assistant scout master.

A new troop of girls participating in the Boy Scout program — which is in its second year — also took part in the commemoration, he said.

“We do various service projects, but I think this one is very meaningful, especially with Memorial Day and trying to honor fallen veterans,” Collery said. “The kids get to walk around and see all the different conflicts and wars that people have been involved in, and the different services they’ve been in. Being able to do that service and honor them with a flag — what better way to celebrate Memorial Day?”

Scouts from the participating troops ranged in age from 11 to 17, he said, though a few younger Cub Scouts also joined. In total, Collery estimated there were about 30 people who spent three hours placing the flags on May 23.

“A big part of scouts is serving our country, and a great way to do that is by serving the veterans who have died serving our country,” said James Polen, 17, who has participated in the event several times. “That’s just what scouts is all about.”

His favorite part of the event is seeing flags waving in a large section of the cemetery made up almost entirely of veterans’ graves, he said.

“So when you’re done and you step back, you see this entire hill is covered in these flags,” he said. “You’re kind of in awe. It’s incredible.”

The cemetery provides the Boy Scout troops with the flags, Collery said.

“There’s no standard way of identifying the veterans,” he said. “They all have different types of markers, but we try to cover the cemetery and place flags for every veteran.”

The scouts also collect old or damaged American flags, which they properly retire at a ceremony on the Fourth of July, along with other worn flags collected throughout the year.

Their effort to place flags at the cemetery garners a lot of positive feedback from the community, Collery said, and it’s an enjoyable tradition for the scouts who participate year after year.

“I like seeing other scouts equally enthusiastic about showing their respect for the country and showing how much they care about the values of scouting and the values of our country,” Polen said. He put down about 100 flags himself.

One scout played patriotic music on a speaker as they worked, Collery said.

“It’s very positive. They look forward to this event each year,” he said. “They just have a good time being in the outdoors. They appreciate what they can do to give back.”