Area residents are invited to attend the 15th Wake Forest Memorial Flag-Raising Ceremony on Monday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m. The program will take place in Centennial Plaza, in front of the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St.
The Sept. 12 service will honor Donald L. Griesedieck who served his nation in the U.S. Army Air Force – the predecessor of the U.S. Air Force. Members of Griesedieck’s family have been invited to participate in the ceremony which will include patriotic songs, special remarks, a memorial wreath laying, and the ceremonial flag-raising. Following the raising of the American flag, the U.S. Air Force service flag will be raised in recognition of the military branch in which Griesedieck served. Both flags will fly in Centennial Plaza throughout September.
Photographs and other remembrances of Griesedieck will also be displayed in Centennial Plaza during the ceremony, then in the town hall lobby through the end of September.
Presented by local veterans’ organizations to honor the sacrifices of deceased Wake Forest veterans and their families, memorial flag-raising ceremonies are held in Centennial Plaza at 11 a.m. typically on the first Monday of each month from April through October. The September observance will take place on the second Monday due to the Labor Day holiday.
A committee comprised of representatives from American Legion Post 187, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 187, American Legion Riders, VFW Post 8466, the Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation, Marine Corps League Detachment 1257, the Wake Forest High School JROTC, and the Town of Wake Forest is soliciting the names of deceased Wake Forest veterans who may be honored during future flag-raising ceremonies.
To be eligible for consideration, the deceased veteran must meet one of the following criteria: 1) joined active duty in Wake Forest; 2) died in Wake Forest; or 3) was a member of a Wake Forest veterans’ organization.
For more information, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov and search “Memorial Flag Raising” or contact Pete Lambert at 919-529-3018 or bflambert@mindspring.com.
