For many of us, Memorial Day is the unofficial kick-off of summer where we may spend time with family and friends, go to the beach or enjoy a backyard barbeque. Memorial Day is also a day where many Americans mourn those who have died while serving in the US armed forces by placing flowers and flags on the graves of military personnel.
On May 29, 2022, for a group of about 40 DTCC volunteers, family and friends it was the latter. The DTCC Military Veterans and Partners ERG partnered up with the non-profit organization, "Flags for Fallen Vets" to place flags at the gravestones of military service personnel at the Florida National Cemetery at Bushnell, Florida. The event is coordinated at many military cemeteries throughout the US and this year in the Florida national cemetery, volunteers placed about 111,000 flags in under two hours.
Ceremonies kicked off at 9am ET where the playing of taps could be heard throughout the cemetery on trumpets and in our section, a saxophone. DTCC volunteers did their part by covering sections 404-405 where we placed approximately 600 flags in about an hour. Placement of the flags included saying the military service personnel’s name and thanking them for their service and sacrifice.
The event gave me a special appreciation not only for all of those servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives for their country but also for the group of DTCC volunteers, friends and family members who came out early Sunday morning to contribute to the event.
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