Memorial Memories

     In my family, the significance of Memorial Day has always been important as my grandma was in charge of organizing the American Legion Auxiliary wreath laying ceremony for veterans in the Mt. Vernon, South Dakota cemetery for around 40 years and consequently four generations of our family were involved in various ways with this task. From making the wreaths, cutting the grass and placing the crosses in the ground, and then as children it was our job to be part of the ceremony and we actually placed the wreath on the cross when the veteran’s name was read.  We have many family memories and photos documenting this annual ceremony from the 1970s to around 2010.
     Upon learning that volunteers were needed here to place flags on veterans graves, I decided to ask my grandchildren to help with this task and they were happy to help. We were assigned Block six in Greenwood Cemetery, which included placing around 44 American flags and 4 American Legion Auxiliary flags on graves. For our first time, it took us right around 90 minutes to complete, and my grandchildren were such good help reading the names on stones. They really took an interest in reading all the information on the headstones including what branch of service and war the veteran had been in. When we were done, I had them look around the entire cemetery and we were surrounded by flags. It is most apparent there is a high number of veterans buried in Greenwood Cemetery.
     This Memorial Day took me down memory lane, and I was proud to involve another generation in the important task of honoring and respecting our veterans who service should never be forgotten.