GLADSTONE, Mich. (WZMQ) – In preparation for Memorial Day, Delta County community members gathered Friday morning to honor the veterans they’ve lost.
August Mattson American Legion Post 71 and local volunteers placed flags and markers on 800 veterans’ graves in Fernwood Cemetery. According to Post 71 Commander Sandy Valdezate, it has been a tradition since 1919.
“It’s a very solemn event because obviously, people have brothers and dads and grandfathers out here that are buried,” she said. “This just gives them a memory to honor them. As fellow veterans, we hope that this goes on for years to come, that everybody will pay their respects to the veterans that have gone before us.”
The flags will remain on display for a little over two weeks. Valdezate hopes that people who drive by the cemetery remember the sacrifices America’s veterans made for their country.
“Our freedom is not free,” she said. “People have to have a sacrifice for what we’ve got.”
At 10 a.m. on Monday, May 26, American Legion Post 71 will hold a ceremony at the cemetery, along with the American Legion Riders, local scouts, and the Gladstone High School band. Afterward, the group will go to the yacht club and place a wreath on the water in honor of deceased Navy veterans.