Margeurite Desbrow, of the Village of Duval, is looking for volunteers to participate in the annual Flags for Fallen Vets event at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.
Each year around Memorial Day, volunteers gather at national cemeteries and place American flags at the headstones of the fallen. This nationwide event is held to remember veterans and thank them for their service.
This year’s event is set for Sunday, May 28. A nonrefundable fee of $12 per volunteer is to be paid to Desbrow prior to the day of the event. This money will be used to pay for the four buses that will transport volunteers to and from the cemetery.
Two buses will be waiting at the American Legion at County Road 466 and Rolling Acres Road, while the other two buses will be at Lowe’s on County Road 466A. Volunteers have their choice of which location and buses work best for them. Boarding will be from 7 to 7:15 a.m., and the buses will leave for the cemetery at 7:30 a.m.
Upon arrival, each volunteer will be given a bundle of 25 flags. These flags will be placed at the veterans’ headstones after they are properly acknowledged and thanked for their service. A hole will be made in the ground with a screwdriver, at which point a flag is planted in the hole.
The entire event will be about an hour long. The buses will transport volunteers to their original locations and be back by about 11:15 to 11:30 a.m.
Desbrow, who has locally organized the event for the past five years, will be placing flags in memory of her late son, Sgt. Michael Robert Desbrow, who served in the United States Air Force for 20 years before being laid to rest at the Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.
If you would like to volunteer for this year’s Flags for Fallen Vets, call Desbrow at 352-633-0882 to pay the $12 nonrefundable fee. She is also selling commemorative sweatshirts for $25 that can be worn the day of the event.
