Harrison Cub Scouts to place 745 flags to honor fallen veterans at Prospect Cemetery

The members of Cub Scout Pack 186 from Harrison have a large chore looming this week but the people they’re serving had an even bigger one, the youngsters said.

Pack members will traverse the 13-acre Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge to place 745 American flags on grave sites of veterans buried at the 158-year-old property. There are more than 13,000 graves at the site along Freeport Road.

“The reason why this project is important to me is because my Uncle Pierre, a Navy veteran, unexpectedly died last year,” said JB Hood, 9, of Harrison. “Placing flags on the graves helps me to honor him and others who served our country. It helps me feel close to him.”

The flag placement will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and every vet’s grave will be adorned in time for Memorial Day.

This is the second year the Pack has participated in the program, which is coordinated by the Brackenridge American Legion.

Cubmaster Dan Dobies leads 22 elementary-aged Scouts. He wants them to acknowledge veterans when possible, even if it’s a simple gesture like shaking hands or saying ‘thanks.’

“I would like them to learn to recognize a veteran by the hat or jacket they might wear, or the license plate frame they may have on their vehicle,” Dobies said. “Or, to learn why some people might thank a veteran of the Vietnam War by using the words ‘Welcome home.’

“I want them to understand that, if not for the service and sacrifice of our country’s veterans, they as civilians wouldn’t be free to do all the fun things they get to enjoy in life.”

It’s not always an easy task with young Scouts but Dobies said as they grow and mature, the repetitive lesson will register more readily.

Dobies’ son, Leo, already is getting the idea.

It’s important to dress up the gravesites so “we can honor veterans and so people don’t forget them,” Leo said.

“I have a grandpa who is a veteran, and I think he would feel happy because I am doing this.”

Parent Lauren Cottone said children are never too young to learn appreciation and respect. Her son, Aiden, 7, is already getting the gist, she said.

“We hope that he can have a bigger understanding of our freedoms and of those who sacrificed to allow us those freedoms,” Cottone said.

Aiden said he likes being “a helper.”

“I like how the cemetery looks when the flags are up, and I can visit from my Nana’s house,” he said.