Friday, May 30, 2014
A group of youngsters from the Belin Memorial United Methodist Church Creative Learning Center got a lesson in patriotism Friday and their efforts brought smiles – and a tear or two – from members of VFW Post 10420.
The vets and youngsters joined forces to place American flags on the graves of veterans buried in Belin’s cemetery in advance of Monday’s official Memorial Day holiday.
Friday’s event started with the pledge of allegiance by the youngsters, followed by the singing of “God Bless America.”
The 4-year-olds then crossed the parking lot for a brief ceremony, where Post Commander Paul Roberts told the dozens gathered at the cemetery entrance that Memorial Day is more than a three-day weekend.
“It’s more than the start of summer. It’s a day to remember veterans, some who gave their lives, others who lived to tell the story,” Roberts said.
He then nodded and post members passed out handfuls of flags to the youngsters, who raced through the cemetery to find the flag holders that marked the graves of veterans.