Gloomy weather did not deter about 200 Pitt County scouts and their leaders as they undertook the task of planting flags at gravesites last week to highlight veterans and their history for the Memorial Day holiday.
Boy Scouts from across the area turned out on May 18 to place 3,600 flags across five cemeteries. The youths picked up their flags and received meals donated by local merchants to fuel their mission at the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 272 headquarters at Greenwood Cemetery as storms loomed in the forecast.
“This is a great honor for the Vietnam Veterans to collaborate annually,” said Paul Smith, Chapter 272’s president and a U.S. Army veteran. “We’re very proud of this event and by the grace of God continue it every year.”
By some estimates, the youngest veterans of the Vietnam War turn 70 in 2024. Smith and other members of Chapter 272 said that the labor of planting flags at the Pitt County graves of veterans from all conflicts is simply outside of their physical ability. Enlisting the aid of young backs and knees help the veterans pay their respects and, hopefully, pass on a lesson.
“Sometimes when I look at these scouts I see the enthusiasm in their eyes,” Smith said. “They’ll become straight upstanding citizens and I think it’s a very good influence on them to do the next great thing.”
It was the first flag-planting event for Evan Opdyke, a scout of three years, who meticulously looked for grave markings that indicated the veteran status of the person buried there. While some markers have clear signs, others have been worn or might be otherwise difficult to determine. Opdyke said he was thorough out of respect for warfighters of the past.
“It means that I get to support those that fought for us in this country,” Opdyke said. “That I can help everybody else support the very same people I’m supporting, the fellowship that I’m ... participating in.
“I want to make sure that they’re getting their placements,” Opdyke continued. “I’m not really sure (why), but I’m sure that everyone who’s a veteran ... fought for our country so they need to be able to be called up and honored every year or as much as possible.”
Guy Miller, a member of Chapter 272, said that as a “last man standing” organization, the Vietnam Veterans of America look to their associate organizations, other veterans and citizens like scouts to keep their legacy alive when they pass. The organization’s bylaws restrict membership to only veterans who served in the Vietnam War, but flags were planted at veteran graves regardless of their branch of service or conflict waged.
Miller also praised local merchants for providing meals and a local internet provider for a donation of 400 flags to replace ones that had been retired. He said the support Vietnam War veterans receive now is a far cry from their initial return home.
“What I think is that the younger people, the people who were too young to be wrapped up in the turmoil of those years, have felt guilty and realize how their elders behaved toward the veterans and are interested in, not exactly making it up to them but in extending recognition and appreciation to us Vietnam veterans.
“The one phrase we never heard back then was ‘welcome home.’ That is the most powerful phrase someone can say to a Vietnam veteran. ‘Thank you for your service’ is just perfunctory.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0