Each year on November 11 at 6 am, men, women, and young people gather for a ceremonious event to start Veteran’s Day. As the AJ Welding truck pulls up, one can see the flags of servicemen and servicewomen who have passed away. These flags are gathered beforehand, organized and placed on poles days before the event. In addition to this, the day on the afternoon of November 10th, Alan Thompson along with volunteers place stakes around the courthouse lawn in preparation for the early morning event.
In the early morning hours, these volunteers gather to assemble the display seen throughout the day. As men separate and hand the flags down, volunteers carry the flags to their location around the courthouse lawn. These locations are based upon the specific war or peace time the veteran was active in. As the group progresses around the square, the light of day shines upon them. You can hear light conversation from general topics to people pointing out flags of family members of their own or other volunteers.
Within roughly an hour, the flags have all been placed and the group disperses with a lone few walking through the rows of memorial flags ensuring all are securely placed and displayed properly to withstand the day’s weather.
