Veterans flags replaced at Hickory cemetery
Members of the Forgotten Flag Foundation, along with students from the Canon-McMillan School District, replaced more than 400 flags Nov. 1 at Mt. Prospect Cemetery in Hickory.
“We wanted to make Veterans Day a memorable day for those who visit loved one’s gravesites,” said Christopher Staud, a co-founder of the foundation with fiancee Rachel Weaver. The foundation is committed to restoring and improving flag displays across the country.
Staud said about 15 foundation members and a half-dozen students from Canon-McMillan High School and middle school participated. The involvement of the students is a foundation mission.
“We want to get kids really involved in community outreach and raising patriotism and helping veterans out,” Staud said. “(This) was a great start for that mission moving forward.”
The foundation will be at Carmichaels Middle School on Friday for the Field of Flags. Donations will go toward Disabled American Veterans.
As part of Friday’s event, the foundation held an essay contest. Staud said there were 36 entries from sixth-graders on what the flag means to them. The winner of the essay contest will ride with Staud and foundation members in Pittsburgh’s Veterans Day Parade.
“I can’t tell you how blessed I am,” Staud said. “It’s been such a whirlwind of support and people coming out in record numbers just to share what we love – patriotism and community outreach. I can’t believe how much we’ve grown. We’ve only been a corporation for three months.”