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On a cold Saturday morning, boys from Boy Scout Pack 65 honored veterans who have passed on by placing flags near their headstones. This is a service project that Pack 65 does twice a year, on Memorial Day and Veterans Day as a way of saying thank you to those who have served our nation.
"They learn about the meaning of Veterans Day, identifying the insignia of each branch of the military, and the importance of the recognizing men and women who served our country," says Michelle Phelan, committee chair for Pack 65.
The boys gathered around the flag at the entrance of Foothills Gardens of Memory to listen to Pack Cubmaster, Mike Phelan, a retired Major from the U.S. Air Force, talk about the importance of paying tribute to veterans. Additionally, he reminded parents and youngsters which symbols identified the different branches of the military. "Look carefully at the stones," Phelan says, "some may not have these markers. Some may just say where they served."
Flags, provided by Bob Sweeney, manager of Foothills Gardens of Memory, were handed out and the boys dashed off, eager to plant their flags.
"We have a couple of requirements within Cubscouts, duty to God and duty to country, those are two very guiding principles. To have an event like this where we can come out and be very focused on 'What does it mean to be an American?' and 'What sacrifices have been put out there?' It is a nice, easy commitment that the boys can relate to, where they can see immediately, 'Hey, I went out and I said thank you to some veterans by putting the flag out there,' says Mike.
The event was not just about planting flags though. Phelan uses it as an opportunity to teach these young boys to take a few moments to appreciate those who have sacrificed so much to make this nation what it is. He does that by teaching them about the services those men and women participated in as well what they had to do during their service.
Cub scout Will Prast thought the event was fun, and said that he was there to "plant flags for the veterans, to honor them because they fought in a war."
Nickolas Viddy, another cub scout, stated that he was there for, "flag planting and for serving our veterans and to honor our veterans who protected our country from bad people in like World War I and the other wars."
All the boys braved the chilly wind to ensure that no veteran's stone was missed, turning the cemetery into a sea of American flags.
With the pride of a job well done, the boys gathered around the flag once more to share their experiences with their pack leaders and to enjoy donuts and juice, also provided by Sweeney.
In closing, Cubmaster Phelan stated, "I am grateful to Foothills Garden of Memory for making this such a great and easy experience for us, I am grateful to the parents for coming out and giving us their time, and of course grateful to all the veterans for all they did for us."
