NOLA Memorial Day volunteers

A swarm of volunteers planted American flags on more than 15,000 headstones at the Chalmette (La.) National Cemetery on May 24 for Memorial Day. Family groups, active and retired military personnel, scouts, St. Bernard Parish fire, sheriff and tourism departments, the World War II Museum, and businesses such as Valero and Shell fielded teams of three to 10 volunteers. The task was completed in 45 minutes, breaking last year’s record of an hour. Navy veterans Cindy and Edward Broom brought their grandchildren to help plant flags. “We’ve brought them the past three years,” Cindy said. “They love doing it.” Flags are placed at the graves in the national cemetery in honor of Memorial Day and in preparation for the annual Memorial Day Ceremony to be held at Sunday (May 26) at 12:30 p.m. The Vietnam Veterans of VFW Post 3798 will present a tribute to America's fallen troops. “We have records of Memorial Day ceremonies here dating back to 1935,” Jim Cowie, a National Park Service (NPS) volunteer at the cemetery, told NOLA.com. According to the NPS website, the cemetery was established in May 1864 as a final resting place for U.S. soldiers who died in Louisiana during the Civil War. (Source: NOLA.com 05/24/19)