Chatter and memory flooded the Evergreen Cemetery Saturday morning as over 100 volunteers came together to honor Alachua County’s fallen heroes ahead of Veterans Day.
Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, college and high school students, families and retired veterans took time to place small American flags beside the graves of local veterans. In addition to more than 1,100 flags, the Evergreen Cemetery Association of Gainesville provided maps of the cemetery and brushes to clean off gravestones.
Karen Russ, the 65-year-old cemetery coordinator at Evergreen, has helped run the flag-placing since 2018. Many of her relatives served in the military, inspiring her to organize the community event, which she said was “very personal” for her.
“For me to bring our community together and remember every one of our veterans who have served our country, it's heartwarming, it's patriotic, it's such a wonderful tribute,” she said.
Volunteers were assigned sections and set off to find veterans’ graves. The morning light and cool breeze guided the slow but intentional footsteps of those acknowledging the men and women who served the country.
Lily Chatfield, a 22-year-old working for the Gainesville Police Department, came to pay tribute to her grandfather, Ronald Chatfield, who served in the Vietnam War. The flags carried a deeper meaning for Lily, she said, symbolizing her personal connection to the veterans.
“It's hard to think that people actually had boots on the ground, giving their lives up for us and what we have today,” she said. “I think it's easy to forget that and to take advantage of that.”
Rows of red, white and blue flags stretched across the cemetery as the volunteers progressed. For some, it was their first time participating in the flag placing. For others, like Starling Johnson, it’s an annual tradition.
The 49-year-old Army veteran spent his morning honoring those who served before him for the third year in a row. Johnson served as a paratrooper and said he was proud to see the public honoring his fellow service members.
“When we have an event like this, it keeps people never forgetting,” he said. “And at the end of the day, we all have one common goal: to honor those who served.”
Though the flags will be collected once Veterans’ Day passes, the memory of the morning will remain a powerful reminder of the veterans’ sacrifices. For 7-year-old Aurora Rodriguez, it’s a reminder of family.
Aurora went to the flag placing with her family to honor her grandfather, Harry Harper Beeman, a Navy veteran who served in World War II.
“I’ll remember going with my friends and placing flags,” she said. “It feels really special that everybody’s doing all this for the people.
Even volunteers who didn't have personal connections to military service understood the significance of honoring veterans. Julie Bishop, the 44-year-old owner and director at Crevasses Simple Cremation in Gainesville, attended this event with her team for the fourth time and appreciated the opportunity to recognize the lives of those who served.
“The veterans gave their lives for us, and they served for us,” she said. “The least that we can do is come out as a community to support them and honor them by putting the flags on the graves.”
Alabama Weninegar is a contributing writer for The Alligator. Contact her at aweninegar@ufl.edu.
