As America gets set to honor all veterans for their service on Veterans Day November 11, some in Connecticut took time out Saturday to remember the military men and women who are no longer with us.
Volunteers knelt down to perfectly place a small American flag next to the headstones of the 10,000 veterans buried in the state’s veterans’ cemetery.
Many taking time out to blanket the cemetery with the red, white, and blue were veterans themselves.
“This is an honor especially to be able to put flags on these cemeteries because I’m so grateful I made and survived to be able to do this,” said former SGT Glenn Johnson, who served in the Vietnam War.
He was joined by five others from the VFW in Hamden.
“Need to remember that these people put their lives on the line and we honor them by putting the flags out,” added fellow member SSG Loreen Lawrence, a veteran of the Gulf War.
“We need many many hands to make light work and I’m very well pleased to see the turnout that we have this morning. It’s very gratifying to know we have so many people here honoring our veterans,” said SFC Ronald Christopher, a Korean War veteran who helped organize the volunteers.
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When he started there were just 1,500 veterans buried at the cemetery. As the number of flags needed grows, so does the amount of people willing to lend a helping hand. Cub Scout troops joined in, and what was supposed to last six hours took just one. Their troop leader, Stacy Caserta, told us she hoped the scouts learned the importance of giving back. Her son said he also learned more about his family's history.
“I saw my Uncle Buddy, my Aunt Jean. They were in war. The US Army. Uncle Buddy fought in World War II,” said Wethersfield Fourth Grader Alex Caserta.
“They’ve served our country and this is our way to say thank you,” added his mother.
This easy and important act of kindness is one that Glenn Johnson said he hoped someone would do for him one day.
