GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Jerry Dennis has been planting flags in Grand Rapids cemeteries for the past 40 years. Within the past few, however, he's been focusing his efforts on Greenwood Cemetery in Grand Rapids.
"Hopefully I'll have a lot of volunteers here to put flags out in the cemetery to put on the veterans graves," Dennis said.
On Saturday, May 18, Dennis and Margo Forrester, who is helping organize the flag planting, are hoping that enough volunteers will help come out to make it an easy job.
There are around 2,000 veterans buried on Greenwood's grounds.
"We just need help," said Forrester. "It's just a lot of cemetery."
Dennis said after a flag is put into the ground, the person who put it there will say the name of the veteran, and then salute them.
"If we have lots of volunteers it will take a lot less time," said Forrester. "Many hands make light work. So come on out and help us flag the graves of all the veterans and honor their service."
At 79 years old, Dennis said it's slowly been getting harder to traverse through the hilly terrain of Greenwood, and added any help will be appreciated.
"As you get older, it's a little harder," said Dennis. "And if I get younger help and get a family out here with their grandparents and bring their grandkids out, then they can go out as a group and I give them instructions on what to look for and how to put the flags in and how to pay respect to the veteran."
They'll be meeting at Greenwood Cemetery on Leonard Street in Grand Rapids, at 10:00 a.m.
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