‘Flags Across Cheshire’ Event To Take Place Memorial Day Weekend

From Flags Across Cheshire

CHESHIRE, CT — Memorial Day is the time when we honor those who sacrificed all in service to the United States of America. Along with other town events planned for the 2025 Memorial Day weekend, including the Cheshire Memorial Day Parade on Sunday, May 25 at 1:30 p.m., the Flags Across Cheshire committee and various town volunteers will be placing flags upon veteran graves, as part of their annual campaign at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 24 at two town cemeteries.

This event is a great way for parents or grandparents to teach their children and grandchildren about the importance of honoring our fallen heroes.

“Every year, we notice more and more people attending the event to help keep the ‘memorial’ in Memorial Day and it is gratifying to see people taking an hour out of their weekend to pay tribute to our veterans,” said Flags Across Cheshire Committee Members Don Falk and Amy Waraksa, both also members of VFW Post 10052.

With the town’s Memorial Day parade theme being the 50th Anniversary of the End of the Vietnam War, Falk adds that three of our fallen heroes were Cheshire High School graduates Gary Richards, Class of 1961, U.S. Army Killed in Action (KIA) in Vietnam in 1967; Robert Rumberg class of 1962, U.S. Air Force, who died in a fighter jet training crash in upstate New York in 1974; and John Gravil class of 1965, U.S. Marine Corps KIA in Vietnam in 1967.

Interested volunteers are invited to go to two local cemeteries, Hillside Cemetery off Wallingford Road (starting in the new section) and St. Bridget’s of Sweden Cemetery off Higgins Road.

Once an identified grave of a veteran is found, a volunteer will place an American flag in the center and as close to the gravestone or marker as possible, in deference to cemetery maintenance. If the gravestone has a flag holder, the flag is to be placed there and if the gravestone has a headstone and veteran footstone, only one flag is needed to be placed. Any existing flags that are worn out should be removed and given to the volunteers staffing the cemeteries so they can be retired with proper flag protocol.

All volunteers are asked to say the veteran’s name with their right hand over their heart, or military salute if a veteran or scout, and say the name of the deceased veteran in honor and memory before proceeding to the next veteran grave. Scouts are asked to be in uniform.

Both cemeteries will have Flags Across Cheshire staff there to direct volunteers to distribute flags which were generously donated from R.W. Hines ACE Hardware. The only request is for the public to bring their own screwdrivers, or something like it, to be able to punch into the ground so the flag stick doesn’t break. Volunteers are also needed for flag collection when they will be removed on Sunday, June 15, at 10 a.m., the day after Flag Day.

The Flags Across Cheshire Committee and local veteran groups encourage all who attend to pass on to others the importance of taking time out to honor our fallen heroes.

“This is a great opportunity to honor and understand that Memorial Day weekend is not just about picnics, parties and barbecues,” Flags Across Cheshire Committee Member Leslie Marinaro said. “Participating in Flags Across Cheshire is a short amount of time to take to honor what Memorial Day is REALLY about – a time set aside to remember our fallen veterans.”

For more information, visit Flags Across Cheshire on Facebook here.