Volunteers from the area will be placing Memorial Day flags at the grave of veterans on record with the Lincoln County Veterans Service office. This takes place approximately one week before and then they will remove those flags approximately one week after Memorial Day, May 28. Unfortunately they experience difficulty in locating some of the graves. Relatives and friends of veterans buried in those Lincoln County cemeteries are asked to determine whether or not the graves are marked with a flag and flag holder. If a grave is not marked with a flag, they are asked to stop at the Lincoln County Veterans Service Office, 801 N. Sales St., Room 146, Merrill, to pick up a flag.
Merrill Area Veterans Organizations will be placing flag on veterans grave on Monday, May 21 at 5 p.m. in St. Francis Cemetery and Merrill Memorial Park Cemetery.
Merrill Area Veterans Organizations will be installing ceremonial flag poles and flags for the Avenue of Flags in St. Francis Cemetery and Merrill Memorial Park Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 28. The poles and flags will be loaded at the VFW Clubhouse, 205 N. Cleveland St., Merrill, starting at 6 a.m. They will be transported to the cemeteries and installed. Assistance is needed to accomplish this project. Members are asked to help and should assemble at VFW Clubhouse at 6 a.m. Assistance will be required to remove the Ceremonial Flag poles and Flags at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day. Meet at Memorial Park Cemetery.
A Memorial Day Service will be conducted at the Merrill High School Auditorium, 1201 N. Sales St., Merrill, on Monday, May 28, at 11 a.m. The Merrill City Band will start playing at 10:30 a.m. Master of ceremonies will be retired Colonel Paul Russell, a 31-year veteran of the U.S. Army. The guest speaker will be Vaughn Edsel, honorable discharge from the United State Navy after serving nine years. Participating will be the Veterans of Foreign Wars Schmitt-Manecke-Donner Post 1638 and Auxiliary, American Legion Edward Burns Post 46, MID-WIS AMVETS Post 2000, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 29, VFW Honor Guard, Merrill City Band. Color Guard, Boy Scout Troop 503, Pack 503 and other local Boy and Girl Scouts. Participants are asked to assemble at 10:30 a.m. in the Auditorium entrance.
The public is encouraged to attend.
For further information contact Commander John Rathke, VFW Post 1638, at 715-218-1886.