American Legion Post 49 of Warsaw’s committee working to expand efforts to put flags on veterans’ graves throughout Kosciusko County met Thursday, May 4, at the Legion’s building. Those attending included from left: Kosciusko County Auditor Rhonda Helser, Kosciusko County Jail Chemical Addiction Program Coordinator Casey Trombley, Post 49 Auxiliary Member Ashley Ormsby, Post 49 Sons of the American Legion Treasurer Jim Patterson, Post 49 Commander John Mort, Kosciusko County Veteran Service Office Darryl McDowell, Post 49 Sons of the American Legion Sergeant-at-Arms Chuck Morrison and Post 49 First Vice Commander Bud Long.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — American Legion Post 49 of Warsaw’s expanded flag project is moving along.

On Thursday, May 4, its committee for the project, which involves placing flags on veterans’ graves in Kosciusko County, met. Committee members and volunteers for the project looked at maps where flags are to go and sorted flags to be placed by different groups before Memorial Day.

Flags are to be put at 13 cemeteries in Kosciusko County, with the Legion overseeing 11 of those directly and supporting others’ efforts to put flags at Silver Lake and Claypool cemeteries.

Post 49 Commander John Mort explained to InkFreeNews the Legion has always helped put out flags by veterans’ graves, but this year’s and succeeding years’ efforts are to be more organized.

He said he learned earlier this year county leaders don’t have a set list of who’s handling putting flags at the more than 80 cemeteries in Kosciusko County.

“So Post 49 decided to take over that job for the county, not that we’re going to do all the cemeteries (ourselves) but we’re going to identify every cemetery and who’s doing it,” he said. “So that there’s no veteran grave left unmarked on Memorial Day.”

Kosciusko County GIS Director Bill Holder had already started marking geographically where veterans’ graves are at cemeteries and provided Post 49 with maps of them. Post 49 Auxiliary Member Ashley Ormsby created guide books for each cemetery to help volunteers.

Mort shared the Legion in the past just handled three cemeteries. Those helping Legion members put out flags this year are the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club, members of the current Kosciusko County Jail Chemical Addiction Program women’s program and Boy Scout troops from Leesburg and Warsaw.

Aside from Post 49, the other American Legion Posts in Milford, Pierceton, Syracuse and North Webster are also placing flags at cemeteries near their respective posts.

People are welcome to donate for the ongoing project as Mort explained.

“This is a joint effort … to outfit (Post 49’s) honor guard … with ties and gloves and whatever we need … but the main push was to buy flags to cover all these cemeteries that aren’t even being looked at,” he said. “Eventually in a three-year program we’re going to identify all 83 cemeteries and make sure that someone’s doing each one of them.”

Donations should be sent to American Legion Post 49, 301 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw, IN 46580, with checks made out to the American Legion Post 49 Honor Guard/Flag Fund.

From left: Trombley, McDowell and Patterson sort flags to be put at cemeteries.