HOLLAND, Mich — Elliot Kraker regularly went to Restlawn Memorial Gardens in Holland to place flags for veterans who have passed. He discovered, however, there was no complete list of buried veterans, and many who were not being recognized.
"There was a big problem with veterans being missed because they decided to have an unmarked grave, and I decided that that wasn't something that should happen," said Kraker.
He became a cub scout when he was a young boy, then became a boy scout, and is now an Eagle Scout serving his community.
"I put in 55 hours, just about. That's including typing all the names into the spreadsheet," said Kraker, as he describes the work that went into creating a full list of all veterans laid to rest at the cemetery.
"I looked up obituary after obituary to help find those, because a lot of times people will include that into the obituary for people to see. So, I had to look it up that way, or actually just meeting people here at the cemetery. Because while putting in flags, a lot of people will tell us that, you know, 'hey, my father was missed, and we wish to have them a flag,'" explained Kraker.
This was not an effort he did alone, as he had help from friends, family, troop members, and his football teammates.
"We came through here with a pen and paper and a large group of people and broke the cemetery down by sections, and then wrote off every single veterans name down on a paper. I think I was up over 1000 veterans alone in the cemetery."
In addition to making sure all veterans are recognized, he also raised money for flags and a new canopy, raising close to $2,000.
He is thankful for everyone who helped him along the way, including those at the cemetery.
"Joseph, actually the head guy here, he worked a lot with me. He's the one who gave me everything I needed, maps, sections, breakdowns of everything, and the grounds crew obviously helped. They gave us locations as well," said Kraker, who also said it was worth the effort to see these veterans remembered, and to get to know the families of the veterans.
"It's a lot of thank you's, it's a lot of hugs, it's a lot of stories, which are always awesome to hear," he said.
Kraker also said veterans sacrificed countless hours, and he is glad to have spent some of his to make sure they are remembered.
"A lot of people in my family passed have served our country, and I think it's something that needs to be recognized more than what we do," said Kraker, "So, I decided the best thing to do for those who lay down our lives for us was to give them the recognition they definitely deserve for all the time they put in for our country that, to be honest, goes under appreciated."
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