Community volunteers place flags on veteran’s graves at College Station cemetary
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX)- Volunteers gathered at College Station Cemetery Saturday morning to honor veterans as they placed flags on 903 veteran graves.
Randal Smallwood, the flag coordinator, said his wife lost her son to suicide after coming back from serving as a marine sniper.
“It’s not about me, it’s not about anybody else here. It’s just about the veterans and we just want to honor their memory,” he said. “We owe them an awful lot and this is the least we can do for them is to place a flag on their grave after they’re gone.”
The purpose of placing the flags next to graves is to “honor those veterans that wrote that check and gave their life for us,” said Smallwood.
Several veteran service organizations and community volunteers spent their morning placing flags.
“We are very privileged and it never hurts to give back a little bit,” said volunteer Ry Heyman.
One volunteer, Roxanne Hernandez, said serving this way allows for deep reflection.
“It’s very deliberate, in that you go to each grave, you’re reading each name, and you’re taking away a little bit of information from every flag that you’re placing,” she said. “One day when my family is no longer around, I hope that there are groups that are doing the same thing for me and my family, that is serving… that there is always someone remembering, that is probably a really nice aspect of this whole thing.”
Flags are put on veteran graves at several cemeteries in the Brazos Valley every Memorial and Veterans Day. Those interested can also put flags on veteran graves at the “Memorial Cemetery-Aggie Field of Honor” 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 5th. Next week, flags will be placed at Oakwood Cemetery and Bryan Cemetery.
Those interested can get involved or get more information by emailing waabrazosvalley@gmail.com.
