Volunteers place nearly 14,000 flags at veterans cemetery ahead of Memorial Day

Hundreds of volunteers gathered at the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown ahead of Memorial Day Weekend to place American flags at the graves of fallen service members.

Organizers said about 13,250 flags would be placed throughout the cemetery as part of the annual tradition honoring veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Volunteer groups included veterans organizations, scout troops, youth groups, community organizations and members of the public. Organizers said no registration was required and flags were provided on site.

For many veterans, the event is about much more than a single holiday weekend.

“You may hear people say, ‘Happy Memorial Day,’” one veteran said during the event. “Well, ask a veteran and they may say ‘Forever Memorial Day.”

Retired Navy aircraft mechanic William “Bill” Voigt has been coming to the cemetery regularly for the past two and a half years to remember his late wife, Carol.

“Her name was Carol,” Voigt said. “And she was my bride for 30 years.”

Voigt said he eventually plans to be buried alongside her.

“When I go, the stone would disappear and they would put a new one in there with my name on the front and hers on the back,” he said. “So we’ll both be in the same vault.”

For Voigt and many others at the cemetery, remembrance extends far beyond Memorial Day itself.

Retired Air Force sentry dog handler Larry Riley said veterans share a bond through service and sacrifice.

“We’re veterans. We have that one thing in common,” Riley said. “We served our country. We served our country honorably.”

“And we’re going to make sure that nobody ever forgets what they did and what we all did and the sacrifices that we made,” he added.

Retired Navy Machinery Repairman Third Class Ron Nanfito said preserving the tradition for future generations is becoming increasingly important as aging veterans groups continue to shrink.

“Hopefully some of these kids will pick it up because our group, Vietnam Veterans of Middletown, we’re dwindling big time,” Nanfito said. “In the last two years, we’ve lost about 20 or 22 guys.”

The annual flag placement effort was led for years by Vietnam veteran Michael A. Rogalsky, who died in March.

Organizers said this year’s event continued in his honor to ensure the veterans buried there are never forgotten.

A Memorial Day ceremony is scheduled to take place at the cemetery Monday at 2 p.m.

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