American flags are placed at veterans' graves in Springfield each Memorial Day and Veterans Day by volunteers.
James J. Mahoney, investigator for the City of Springfield Department of Veterans' Service, and Charly N. Woehlke, behind at left, the department's deputy director, places flags at veterans' graves at St. Michael's Cemetery off State Street on Wednesday in preparation of the upcoming Memorial Day observance.SPRINGFIELD – The placing of American flags at veterans graves for Memorial Day, long a tradition in Springfield, is short on volunteers.
Charly N. Woehlke, deputy director of the Springfield Department of Veterans Services, said Wednesday that more volunteers are needed to place thousands of flags this week in advance of the holiday.
The Gate of Heaven cemetery on Tinkham Road was not flagged as of Wednesday morning, triggering a call for assistance to the Veterans Office, and the St. Michael’s cemetery on State Street was about half-flagged, Woehlke said.
There are approximately 22,000 veterans graves in Springfield, all being flagged by volunteers, including approximately 2,000 graves at Gate of Heaven and about 5,000 at St. Michael’s, Woehlke said.
A lot of the volunteers are older veterans who belong to veterans organizations, and many are unable to physically make the long walk through larger cemeteries, she said.
“They just can’t do it anymore,” Woehlke said. “They can’t walk that far. We really need the younger generation to take part.”
Some high school students, including members of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), do help out, Woehlke said.
Veterans agents in some surrounding communities, including Holyoke and Northampton, said they were in good shape in the placing of flags.
Woehlke said that having volunteers on hand has not been a problem until this year.
In addition to the older veterans, unfortunately some of the past volunteers “now have volunteers flagging their graves,” Woehlke said.
The poor weather earlier this week also may have been a factor in hampering the placement of flags, she said. The task will continue into the weekend, she said.
Those who wish to help with flagging can contact Woehlke at the veterans office at (413) 886-5045. Another option is to call Gate of Heaven at 782-4731, or St. Michael’s at 733-0659.
“All we really need is their time,” Woehlke said.
The city pays for new flags each year, used both on Memorial Day and again on Veterans Day. The cost each year is approximately $11,000.
Richard J. Tyrell, chairman of the Springfield Veterans Activities Committee, said he hopes volunteers, including scouts, civic associations and others, “bring their troops” forward for the flag placing task.
He said he was “not surprised” by the shortage of volunteers given that many are “working on different things to help the veterans who are coming home,” and may have forgotten about some of traditional tasks.
He agreed that many of the older veterans are challenged physically.
“No matter where the heart, the body wins,” he said.
The flags are delivered to each cemetery. The veteran status is typically shown on the headstone or a marker, and some with sites have small brass posts for the flag.
William C. Walls Jr., director of the state’s veterans’ memorial cemeteries, said the veterans cemetery in Agawam was flagged Wednesday by a “very dedicated” group of volunteers. There are approximately 5,500 grave sites.
In Holyoke, Veterans Services Director Deborah A. Malek, said flagging is continuing and going well. It can be a challenge for older veterans, particularly the sloped grounds of Forest Dale Cemetery, she said.
The Hampshire Veterans Services Office in Northampton reported that flagging was proceeding without problems. Volunteers are from various organizations, including American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts.