BOURNE – Volunteers will gather Saturday at the Massachusetts National Veterans Cemetery in Bourne to place 77,000 flags on all the graves for Memorial Day.
Operation Flags for Vets will get underway at 10 a.m. with a short ceremony at the flagpole at the end of the cemetery’s Avenue of Flags with the placement of the flags to follow.
Organizer Paul Monti is amazed at how much the effort has grown since 2011.
“We now have upwards of 5,000 people who show up to do the graves,” Monti said.
Volunteers of all ages, races and religions participate including World War II veterans in their 90s. They’re asked to bring a long-handled screwdriver to help make starter holes for the flags.
Paul Monti created Operation Flags for Vets to honor his son SFC Jared Monti, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2006 and the recipient of the Medal of Honor.
“I’m on my 12th year of losing him now and it’s just like yesterday,” Monti said.
Jared was killed on his third attempt to rescue a fellow serviceman who was wounded.
Monti said Jared would be proud of the work he has done with Operation Flags for Vets to honor those who have served.
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