Their noble mission is to ensure that all 160,000 veterans and their spouses, buried at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, are honored on Memorial Day.
Their ambitious plan is to enlist the aid of 2,500 volunteers to place American flags at each of the 100,000 gravestones on Sunday, May 27, at 9 a.m.
“We have some 2,300 volunteers – about 70 percent are Villagers – who will participate, but there’s room for another 200,” explained Doug Gardner, who is coordinating the event for the Flags For Fallen Veterans. “Now, our highest priority is to enlist volunteers to assist with the flags’ removal on Saturday, June 2, also at 9 a.m. We will hold both events rain or shine.”
Prior to Sunday’s event, volunteers will be mailed information about their assigned section and location for their placement of some 40 flags. They could request additional flags if their section has not been completed.
“Those interested are encouraged to complete the registration process online at flagsforfallenvets.com and proceed to the ‘Volunteer’ then ‘Florida National Cemetery-Bushnell’ pages,” continued Gardner. “If they encounter any difficulty, they should email me at doug.gardner@flagsforfallenvets.com.”
The Bushnell cemetery is the largest of the four national cemeteries in Florida, and is the second busiest in the nation.
“Flags for Fallen Veterans is a charitable organization, conducted only by volunteers. There is no paid staff,” said Dick Gromacki, another event coordinator. “We are blessed to be in The Villages whose residents’ overwhelming financial support buys the flags; the availability of golf carts at the cemetery, and the use of public storage facilities, and the American Legion where our flags are prepared.”
The initiative also is supported by several other organizations whose members readily volunteer for the flags’ placement. These include the American Legion, the Corvette and Convertible clubs, the Marine Corps League, the Villages Honor Flight, Villages Nomad Motorcyclists, Vietnam Veterans of America, and area Boy and Girl Scout troops.”
“My wife and I were asked to participate by Tom Hipp, who began the local initiative in 2014,” said Gardner. “Even as we were placing the first of the flags, we realized how much this was a heart-warming and truly rewarding experience. We’ve remained involved ever since.”
