Memorial Day is reserved to honor those that gave all to the USA
In preparation for this year’s observance of Memorial Day, local AmVets Post 1857 gathered a few days prior to the holiday to decorate the graves of each veteran in both cemeteries within Blackshear’s city limits.
The two cemeteries were the Blackshear City Cemetery and Shiloh Cemetery, which both contain the final resting places of many veterans.
Four representatives of Post 1857 began their work early Thursday morning, May 21. The small team was composed of Post Commander Guylee Washington, First Vice Commander Ruben Mulkey, Provost Marshal Willie Roach and Judge Advocate Guy Lee Daniel Washington.
Judge Advocate Washington is Post Commander Washington’s father and 2025 Pierce County Citizen of the Year.
Beginning in one corner of the Blackshear City Cemetery, equipped with drills and backpacks and a wheeled cart loaded down with United States flags, the four men began to adorn each veteran’s grave site with a small replica of Old Glory, ending with a brief solemn salute to the departed brother in arms.
Post Commander Washington explain their mission simply. “The motto of AmVets is ‘veterans helping veterans’ and this is something we have wanted to do for some time—to honor these veterans,” said Washington. “This is the first time the Blackshear community has been able to acknowledge them in this way. Because our new post is located in Blackshear, we felt obligated to do this. We don’t want any of them to be forgotten.”
The four men had a lot of ground to cover. Beginning shortly after 8 a.m. They were only a approximately a quarter complete with many left to do and the entire Shiloh Cemetery still ahead of them, but as so often happens with members of the military all that matters is loyalty to each other and the mission. It was going to take however long it took for the four men.
The plan is to ensure each veteran’s grave has a flag to mark it twice a year, Memorial Day in May and Veterans Day in November.
The hope is that, as word spreads of their distributing the small flags to Pierce County’s honored dead, others in the community will rise up to help in November. Mulkey also mentioned this year’s Wreaths Across America, a similar program honoring veterans in December.
Washington encourages anyone who wants to assist with the flags in November later this year to call him at 912-286-0603 or email him at [email protected]
