By Joe Cuminale
On Saturday, May 25, myself and hundreds of volunteers from all walks of life – young and old – gathered together at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale to help place flags on the graves of America’s Fallen Heroes. We began at 7:00a.m. and continued until every Veteran’s gravesite had a flag.
This year, I noticed that a lot of families with young children came out on their own to help and I believe that many of Long Island’s families now have a new family tradition to continue each year. My 29-year-old nephew, Brett Geiger, joined me once again this year and he made many new friends. There were church groups, Cub and Boy Scout Troops, Brownie and Girl Scout Troops, school teams of all kinds, Veteran’s Posts, and many motorcycle groups, such as Rolling Thunder, American Legion Riders, H.O.G. Motorcycle Group, and the Blue Knights.
By 10:30a.m., every gravesite had a flag, and I noticed the youngsters asking a lot of questions, which I did my best to answer. I directed the adults to check out the areas where those awarded the nation’s highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor, are buried. Each of these graves has a plaque on display explaining the reason they were awarded this honor, and many walked away from this day with a small history lesson.
On a personal note, I have been a small part of this amazing event, for more than fifty years, beginning when I was in the Cub Scouts with my pop as my Scout Master. I am honored to be a part of this event every year and I intend to continue being part of it for as long as I am able.
Never forget the fallen!
