<BGSOUND SRC="http://karendean.net/cavatina2.mid"loop=infinite> Memorial Day Flag Detail
Marietta National Cemetery

I'll work on Flag Detail...basically, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts are invited to plant all the little flags that are in the ground at each grave at Marietta National Cemetery. The Cemetery is HUGE......perhaps 30,000-50,000 graves sites. Anyhow, Flag Detail started when my pal Tom and I arrived at the Cemetery last year to set out the wreaths....and noticed hundreds of the flags had blown down; these little guys just don't have the strength to set that many wooden poles into the hard ground and keep them at an even distance from the headstone.

We started to put flags back upright...and then found a couple of folks from Lawrenceville that were doing the same thing. Every year, these folks come out to Marietta National...not because they have anyone there...but because they're both active military and realize that the flags are NOT supposed to be on the ground; but know that the young guys putting them in just haven't the strength to do them ALL and do them rights. Tom and I pitched in and spent a couple hours going around the Cemetery standing flags upright....which doesn't seem like a big deal until you're in the middle of the Cemetery and realize just how many flags and headstones there are as you're in the middle of them all. Made me feel pretty insignificant and the only job I had to do was stand little flags upright again.

And while you're in the middle, you can't help but start to look at names and ages and places of birth and death; ranks; medals and awards; commision status for the soldiers...and then there are those graves that belong to newborn children and daddy's girls or sons that were laid to rest; unknown soldeirs that no one will ever know; Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam soldiers and some guys that actually fought in two to three theatres of battle....it's an awesome place to realize where you're at all of a sudden....turn around, and there's even more headstones and fallen flags; it borders upon the surreal.

Dan Turner
Memorial Day 2000










Tribute to Michael Barry Turner






Created Memorial Day - 5/28/2001

Credits

Song: Cavatina - Theme to the movie the Deer Hunter
Composed by Stanley Meyers
Arranged and performed by Dan Turner