Boy Scout Troop 157 spent Memorial Day weekend honoring veterans at East Lawn Palms Mortuary and Cemetery by placing American flags on their graves Saturday morning and returning Monday at 3 p.m. to collect them.
Mason Van Cleve with Troop 157 and Vice Chief of Inductions for Order of the Arrow, Papago Lodge initiated the service event.
"So we start at 3:00 because that is the national moment of silence across the country. So we'll all gather, hold our own moment of silence, and then we'll go around picking up flags and thanking those members for their service as we pick up flags," Mason said.
He says it’s important to remember those who have given to our community and reflects on one moment that touched his heart a year ago.
"There was a gentleman who, he's the last of his family and his dad, they forgot to put a flag on his grave, so we came and did a special ceremony and left the flag there for him, did a special salute and thanked his father for his service. For me, it's just making sure that no one is forgotten," Mason said. "And that everyone has someone out here to remember their memory and make sure they're thanked for their service, because not everyone does."
Chrissy Van Cleve, Troop 157 Advancement Chair, said Memorial Day is a significant time for younger generations to acknowledge the sacrifices veterans made.
"For us it's really important to teach our kids and our scouts the importance of the legacy that people leave in front of them and so that way they can also learn how to leave their own legacy behind them," Van Cleve said.
11-year-old Boy Scout Isaias Cooper Moreno was very careful as he removed each flag from a service member's grave.
"Because sometimes people put flags on their graves and they're not veterans, so we usually leave those because it's from the family," Isaias said.
He said it was special to be there alongside his dad and fellow scouts.
"It's to honor the families and friends and the people who died to protect our country and our freedom, and I think it's a really cool opportunity to come here," Isaias said. "It's nice, it's peaceful, there's a lot of good shady spots. It's fairly quiet other than the birds and the cars. It's just beautiful here overall."
Troop 157 also participated in a wreath ceremony Monday morning, where Mason delivered a speech and one of the female scouts played the bugle in tribute to veterans.
"Basically scouting can take you a lot of places and if you're someone who enjoys giving service to your community, it's a great place to be and we welcome anyone from any walk of life into Scouts for both boys and girls and just getting involved is really important, especially if you want to honor those who have honored us," Van Cleve said.
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