Iola cemeteries were festooned with flags this weekend, in preparation for Veterans Day on Thursday.
The Iola Boy Scouts and local 4-Hers gathered to place flags on veterans’ graves Saturday morning at Highland Cemetery, as well as at the old Iola Cemetery west of town.
More than 1,000 flags were given to the effort by an anonymous donor and the flags were purchased by the LaHarpe VFW at a reduced cost, Lonnie Henkle said.
“I thought 1,000 flags would be plenty, but I think it’s going to be pretty tight,” Henkle said.
In planning for the event, Henkle said he was surprised to discover how many veterans are buried locally. He was even more surprised to discover many veterans did not have grave markers.
VFW members also added veteran markers to graves of veterans that didn’t have one.
Anyone who knows a veteran that does not have a grave marker should contact the LaHarpe VFW members to make arrangements, he said.
The entryway to the cemetery also will be marked with large flags, as traditionally done for Veterans Day.
HENKLE said he hopes to expand the effort in the coming years, to cover cemeteries in all major Allen County towns.
Advertisement
Advertisement
