As the sexton at South Bend (Bethel) Cemetery near McCutchenville, I spent some time Sunday resetting flags that had been pulled out of the veteran's flag holders and tossed aside as the bronze makers were stolen by "scrappers" sometime last week. About a dozen Civil War and World War II flag holders were gone.
The Seneca County Sheriff's Office promptly dispatched a deputy when I called, but there is little deputies can do other than drive through occasionally when they are in the area. People in the neighborhood should be aware of the problem and call if they see any suspicious activity. It sort of adds insult to injury that this occurs right around July 4, when we should all be honoring and thanking our veterans, past and present, for the freedoms we still have.
There was hardly any official mention of D-Day (June 6) this year and the 100th anniversary of the War of 1812 event at the Veteran's Memorial on Frost Parkway didn't even rate mention (as noted by Jane Birch's letter last week).
Wake up America! This may well be the last Fourth of July we celebrate as free people!
Those flag holders can be replaced by the Veteran's Affairs at a cost to the taxpayers, but the patriotic spirit that compelled those individuals to serve their country cannot be replaced at any price by a generation that dishonors its veterans by scrapping their flag holders and tossing the American flag on the ground over their graves.
Veteran's Day is Nov. 11, five days after the election. I have to wonder if it will be observed this year?
D. F. Heimrick,
McCutchenville
