GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Local scout troops and other volunteers gathered to make sure those who defended the country aren't forgotten on Memorial Day.
A flag decorating ceremony was held at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans Wednesday evening. Boy and Girl Scout Troops placed flags at the headstones of local veterans.
A number of military official and scout leaders spoke at the event, calling it an honor for all involved.
"That`s what makes today`s Memorial Day event a critical time for us to think about the past and current members of our military for their patriotic service to the support of our country," said Kevin Nichols, Boy Scout Executive with the President Ford Field Service Council.
"When you go and decorate these graves, I would ask you to do one thing scouts," James Redford, director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, instructed the scouts. "Pause, look at the name that is on that headstone, read it, and say it out loud, and then in the days and weeks that follow think to yourself as you conduct yourself, 'Am I living my life in a way that is worthy of their sacrifice?' Hopefully all of us will do that and the fact that all of you are engaged in such outstanding organizations as the Girl Scouts of America and the Boy Scouts of America, I suspect you already are."
The decorating ceremony only took a couple minutes, but those involved say the impact it had on them will last much longer.
