Flags for the veterans
Mike Winningham of Searcy puts flags on graves Wednesday, as he works with a small group of volunteers at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock.
Five soldiers will handle groundskeeping duties at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery at North Little Rock after a cemetery employee tested positive for covid-19, the Arkansas National Guard announced Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Brian Mason, a Guard spokesman, said the entire crew at the cemetery at 1501 W. Maryland Ave. was placed on at-home quarantine “out of an abundance of caution” after the positive test.
“The soldiers will backfill that crew and operate heavy equipment to support interment operations at the cemetery,” Mason said.
The latest development has not altered plans for Gov. Asa Hutchinson to speak at the Memorial Day event at 10 a.m. Monday at the cemetery.
Hutchinson’s appearance will be closed to the public because of the covid-19 pandemic, but his speech will be livestreamed on the cemetery’s Facebook page, said Sue Harper, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs.
The event will feature a flyover of World War II-era planes by the Commemorative Air Force, Razorback Wing, based at North Little Rock Municipal Airport, according to the VA.
Officials said the guardsmen assigned to the cemetery will be working at the site through May 29, and the cemetery’s hours of operation won’t be affected.
The latest group of soldiers brings the total number of Army and Air guardsmen on active duty during the covid-19 crisis to 77, according to the Arkansas National Guard.
The 82-acre cemetery was formally dedicated in 2001 to serve honorably discharged veterans in Arkansas.