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www.shelbyinfo.com Our 41st Year • Issue No. 19 • May 9, 2024
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American Legion to honor graves of Veterans May 23 By Jack Weller Join us for the fifth year as the American Legion family of organizations flags the graves of veterans at Shelby City cemeteries on Thursday, May 23, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Sunset and Webb Memorial Cemeteries. Over the years, over 1,390 veterans’ graves have been identified in the two cemeteries honoring veterans who served from the American Revolutionary War to the present day. Memorial Day is a national day to honor those veterans who have died by placing a flag on their graves. This tradition started in America after the Civil War. Sunset Cemetery has nine grave markers for Civil War unknown soldiers, four Confederate soldiers, and five Union soldiers. They will be honored during the ceremonies. The community has supported the Sons of the American (SAL) Legion Squadron #82
Jean Lankford, Shelby American Legion Auxiliary member, stands beside the grave marker of Warren F. Hoyle, a Marine in WWI, who the Shelby American Legion Post 82 is named in his honor.
Boy Scouts from Troop 104 place flags on the graves of veterans at Webb Memorial Cemetery.
Members of the SAL Squadron 82 pack flags to be taken to each cemetery and placed on the graves of veterans.
and the other American Legion organizations each year. Boy Scout troops, student-athletes from Shelby High School, Masonic Lodge members, Shelby Rotary, American
Legion Baseball team players, and community volunteers help flag the graves and learn about those who served our nation. Zach Parker, SAL Squadron #82 Commander, explained that this was the first project the Squadron adopted when it was formed in November 2019. “In April 2020, members of the American Legion Post, the Auxiliary, and SAL Squadron walked the two cemeteries to identify where veterans were buried, since then we have had families approach us and tell us that there was a veteran in their family, and they would like us to place a flag on their relatives grave.” Nine graves of unknown soldiers from the Civil War are honFor families whose ored each year by flags placed on each grave. veteran’s grave is not
Shelby American Legion Post 82 Color Guard and Rifle Squad stand at attention during the opening ceremony at Sunset Cemetery. marked with a military service plaque, extra flags are placed at the entrance at Sunset and Webb Cemeteries for the family to place on their loved one’s grave. A few days before flagging
the graves, members of SAL Squadron 82 divide the flags into groups so that each section of the two cemeteries will have flags for volunteers to place on the graves. See LEGION, Page 3
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