This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Placing Flags On The Gravestones Of Veterans On Armed Forces Day 2013

It was a beautiful spring morning, the perfect start for this ‘Armed Forces Day, May 18, 2013.

The plan was to meet at Woodland Cemetery in Stamford at 10:00am with the intention of placing flags on the graves of all who had served in the United States Armed Services.

A genuine token of appreciation for those who have served our fine country, this effort is sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9617, in coordination with a number of other groups.  This tradition is celebrated across the land on the weekend before Memorial Day weekend http://stamford.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/flag-planting-a-sign-of-remembrance-gratitude

I planned to help this year and arrived ten minutes before ‘start time’.  Surprisingly, I immediately noticed flags everywhere and realized that, obviously, ‘someone’ had gotten the ‘jump’ on this project! 

Woodland Cemetery on Woodland Place in Stamford was 'already' planted ‘red, white and blue’, as far as the eye could see.

Cruising slowly around this hallowed ground, I spotted the ‘good deed doers’, a small group of young people walking towards the cemetery ‘office area’, ‘left-over’ flags clutched in their hands.

I might have known.  I might have known that this youthful ‘planting expedition’ would expeditiously take care of the loving task at hand, fast and efficiently!

“Excuse me”, I said, as I rolled down my window.  “Are you ‘it’?  Are you the entire ‘flag brigade’?

“Yes, we are.”, they replied, smiling widely. Aliya Whitmore, age 16, Jessica Alarcon 16, Alexandra Vazquez, age 15 and Onyx Velez, age 16 had just completed their work, well-satisfied with time well-spent on a job well done. (left to right in photo above)

All are all students at AITE, 'The Academy of Information Technology & Engineering' here in Stamford. When asked the obvious question (‘what made you want to do this?).  They answered in unison: “It’s the right thing to do”.

Of course it is.

Jessica stated emphatically, “We did this to honor them”.

Pressing further, Aliya Whitmore, who lives in Norwalk, indicated that she urged her classmates, all from Stamford, to participate with her in this veterans’ based weekend project, at the urging of a ‘Leaders of Tomorrow Program’ she is a member of.

Aliya stated, “They (those who ‘served’) did so much for us.”

And Alexandra, Jessica and Onyx followed up with, “It’s the least we can do to give back to them.”

Onyx Velez mentioned the many family members and friends he knows “in the military” as part of his motivation to place flags on graves.

Jessica Alarcon says that she used to “think about going into the military (the Army) even as far back as 7th grade.  When asked about ‘now’, she said, “Not so much.  I don’t know.  Maybe, who knows?”

Alexandra Vazquez shared her personal motivation when she lovingly mentioned that part of her reason for being there on this spring morning was in remembrance for her World War II Veteran Grandpa Flor Pabom.

Jessica later beautifully summed it up for us: “We had enjoyed placing the flags for all those veterans who have done so much to keep us safe.  Even just walking around, learning their names and quotes written on their tombstone was like learning a little about the person and seeing how short or long their lives were, we were more than thankful for the experience today.”

We can all be encouraged for our country.  If these four students, Onyx, Alexandra, Jessica and Aliya are any indication, the future of America looks good.

Their motivation was simple and bold, yet one can still marvel that teens so young care so much.

At a time in history when naysayers abound in America, here is proof positive that there are those who value our veterans every bit as much as generations past have and do.

Surely in this case, our country is in the good, loving hands of those who care enough to ‘plant for good’, for 'freedom’ and for ‘America’ -- in honor of our veterans who embody the very same.

Rev. Barb



We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?