Thousands of flags planted at St. Joseph Cemetery to honor fallen vets

 

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- More than 2,700 flags were planted at St. Joseph Cemetery on Saturday, one on each grave of a veteran who has lost their lives. 

The planting was a joint effort between several local American Legion Posts, which have been planting flags on the Saturday before Memorial Day for around 20 years now.

One of the volunteers, Deborah Nyikos, has been planting flags for five years now, and enjoys sharing the experience with her family. 

"I brought my youngest granddaughter with me so that the next generation knows how to do it and honor the people that died for us." said Nyikos. 

One of the goals of the flag planting is to remind people that Memorial Day is about more than just a three-day weekend, and that those who fought for the United States deserve to be remembered. 

South Bend Police Chief and American Legion Chaplin Scott Ruszkowski says that they hope to dispell some common misconceptions about the holiday as well.

"I understand a lot of people think that it's celebratory, and it is kind of in a way; meaning that you're able to celebrate your freedoms, your rights, because of the people who gave their lives so that you could do that." said Ruszkowski.

The american Legion will also be reading out the more than 500 names of veterans who have died in the past year during a short ceremony around an hour after the West Side Memorial Day Parade on Monday.

For more information, contact American Legion post #357 here.