SOUTHBOROUGH – Community members gathered at Southborough’s Rural Cemetery on Friday evening to replace flags on veterans’ graves.
Every year before Memorial Day, the American Legion Post 161, VFW Post 3276, veterans and local scouting troops gather to take part in this tradition.
According to American Legion Post 161 Commander Dan Kolenda, there are over 900 veterans buried in the cemetery.
“We make sure that they’re all properly respected with a new flag each year,” Kolenda told the Community Advocate on Friday.
As he described it, replacing the flags is a way to remember and honor veterans.
“They earned the right to have the flag at their gravesite and that it’s displayed properly,” Kolenda said. “It’s a great opportunity, I think, to educate our younger citizens about the importance of Memorial Day and remembering those who have fallen in the line of battle.”
Friday’s flag changing marked the beginning of Memorial Day observances in Southborough this weekend.
Community members will now reconvene on Monday for the town’s annual Memorial Day parade.
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