The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
A LASTING SALUTE
Veterans honor departed comrades by placing flags at tombstones
Despite a wet start to the morning, some veterans’ groups and local communities took to the cemeteries May 23, planting flags to honor the deceased for Memorial Day.
American Legion Post 214 in Willoughby gathered to place flags at the Sharpe Avenue Cemetery and Memorial Gardens on Lakeshore Boulevard. They walked the property, searching for gravestones marked with a veteran symbol, where they then planted the Stars and Stripes.
Members mentioned that they used to plant flags with others at All Souls Cemetery in Chardon Township, which also took place that morning.
Various groups were spread out through All Souls Cemetery, holding flags in hand.
In the cemetery, The Euclid
“It’s been passed on from one member to another to take charge of the detail.” — Joe Quirarte, a veteran of the Army and Air Force Reserve
Veterans Association has about 165 members buried, said member Joe Quirarte, a veteran of the Army and Air Force Reserve. He brought a list and a map of the former members and the locations of their grave sites at All Souls.
He noted that he also was in charge of the task this year.
“It’s been passed on from one member to another to take charge of the detail,” Quirarte said. “We have 22 (volunteers) here today.”
He explained that the flags were tagged with the name of the veteran, so that they could be placed at the correct grave site.
“American Legion probably does most of them,” Quirarte said about grave sites in general, “because they cover the whole cemetery looking for all veterans, and wherever they see a veteran’s grave, they put a flag.”
Quirarte explained that the Euclid Veterans Association began in 1945 when a group of wounded World War II veterans returned home and decided to start a club together. He said that some World War II veterans, albeit a small number of them, are still active members of the Euclid association today.
American Legion Post 678 in Willowick also visited All Souls Cemetery. Joe Fischlin, financial officer and Americanism chairman, said that — in lieu of a map or list of names — their system for planting flags is to look for markings.
“Some will actually have the rank on them if it’s a military headstone,” Fischlin said. “But some of them aren’t marked at all. They don’t get flags and people call to complain. But you can’t do much about that.”
He added that American Legion Post 678 will hold a service on Memorial Day at the Boulevard of 500 Flags in Eastlake. The service will begin at 11 a.m.