On Veterans Day, one of the many ways people pay respect to those vets who are no longer with us is by placing flags next to their tombstones.
That’s how members of the American Legion spent their morning Wednesday, placing flags for more than 1,300 veterans in San Luis Obispo.
Randy Earl with American Legion Post 66 said, “We place 1,340 flags in the three cemeteries to honor those that have fallen for us.”
Earl and other members of American Legion Post 66 put an American flag next to each vet’s name, a tradition Earl says he looks forward to doing every year.
“For me, it’s a duty that needs to be upheld. It also means that those that pass by can look and see why they have the freedoms that they do,” he said.
All morning, Earl and some of his American Legion brothers and sisters made sure no vet was left without a flag, each row filled with service men and women who spent years fighting for our freedoms, and some of the legion members say those sacrifices made by our troops, will never go unnoticed.
Nora O’Donnell, American Legion Post 66 commander, says, “To honor those who, like me, served our country is just an amazing thing. I think it’s critical that we always remember our veterans and support them in any way possible.”
Timothy Hannaford, also with American Legion Post 66, said, “Placing the flags is a ‘thank you’ for your sacrifice. I can’t do that nationwide but at least I can do that in my own community and say ‘thank you’.”
