Soggy ground and gray skies on Saturday didn’t stop Harrison-area Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts from their solemn commitment to local veterans.
At Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge, there are 745 veterans buried amongst the more than 13,000 occupied plots, which stretch across 13.5 acres.
The scouts made sure that each veteran received a flag at their gravesite ahead of Memorial Day.
“They’re young, so the weight of it might not sink in,” said Dan Dobies, leader of Cub Scout Pack 186.
Dobies’ Cub Scout pack is made up of around 22 elementary-aged Cub Scouts. He said he hopes the act of placing flags at each veteran’s gravesite is something will stick with the kids, particularly as they learn more.
This is the second year the scouts have volunteered for the flag placement, which is coordinated by the Brackenridge American Legion.
Despite the gray skies and intermittent drizzle, turnout was good, Dobies said. The scouts spent about an hour and a half dividing and conquering the acres of gravesites.
The cemetery is home to veterans from a number of conflicts, including three from the Revolutionary War and 245 from the Civil War. There are veterans from both World Wars and the Persian Gulf as well.
The cemetery, itself, was incorporated in 1863.
Dobies said the age of some of the headstones can be lost on the young children. He said he tries to point out the dates and do the math, but 150 or 200 years can be hard for them to fathom.
“As they mature and get older, they’ll learn more and have even more respect,” he said.
Some of the kids do grasp the gravity of what they’re doing and, more importantly, Dobies said, why they’re doing it.
“It’s to honor the people that died to protect us,” said 10-year-old Levi Thornton.
Mateo Kaminski, 9, also said that placing the flags is about honor.
“It’s to honor veterans,” he said. “They fought for things like freedom and to end slavery.”
