Someone or several someones swept through the Wake Forest Cemetery in mid-August, removing 248 American flags and 14 Confederate flags. Wake Forest Police Captain Matthew May said this week the department’s criminal investigation division investigated after Betty Pearce, an employee with the town’s Operations Center, reported the thefts on Aug. 19, but “there were no leads in the case and it was inactivated.”
The American flags, valued at 48 cents each, are placed on the graves of veterans just before Memorial Day by the Wake Forest Post 8466 Veterans of Foreign Wars. Memorial Day is a federal holiday, always on the last Monday in May, which solemnly honors all the people who died while serving in the armed forces,
The Confederate flags, valued at $2 each, are placed by the local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans before Confederate Memorial Day which is May 10 in North Carolina, marking the death of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson in 1863 and the capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in 1865. Other states commemorate the date on different days and in different months.
Both sets of flags remain throughout the year unless stolen.
Rich Heroux with the VFW said they were asked to replace the flags. “A concerned citizen generously provided the funds to purchase the additional flags.” On Friday, Sept 18, VFW members Jack Midyette, Dan Irons, Hank Pierwola, Al Hinton and Ariel Rosario replaced the missing flags.
Frank Power with the SCV said the group would be replacing the Confederate flags in the near future.
The Wake Forest VFW places American flags each spring in 14 other community cemeteries.
One Response
While not specifically mentioned in the sentence Rich Heroux also participated in the flag replacement.