About a dozen men and women have walked through Riverview Cemetery in Seymour row by row this week looking for headstones of veterans.
Some military plaques are on the ground in front of the grave. Some are on the back of the stone. Others are on top of the stone.
Once a veteran’s grave is spotted, an American flag is placed in the ground nearby.
Whether they were in the military themselves or have ties to someone who served the country, it’s an emotional experience for the volunteers carrying on a longtime Memorial Day tradition of American Legion Post 89 in Seymour.
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“As I decorate each headstone, I just wonder what the individual went through,” said Larry Shelly, who just began his second year as post commander and has been an American Legion member for more than 40 years.
Shelly served with the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War and had family members in the Army and Navy during World War II. One of the relatives never wanted to talk about his war experience.
“These World War II guys are the greatest generation,” Shelly said. “We owe those guys the deepest respect and the most gratitude.”
That’s why year after year, volunteers step forward to place flags near veterans’ headstones in cemeteries around Jackson County.
“It is a wonderful thing, and I’m grateful for every man and woman that has stepped up to help decorate these graves. It’s just a blessing to me to have the help,” Shelly said. “It’s just a show of respect to our veterans. It’s just a show of respect for the freedom they gave us. I’ve just got the utmost respect.”
Men and women associated with Post 89 place flags on veterans’ graves before Memorial Day in Seymour, including at Riverview Cemetery, the old City Cemetery and the Catholic and Lutheran cemeteries. This year, they also had help from Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops.
Shelly said he also visits St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery at Sauers and some old cemeteries along U.S. 50 toward Brownstown.
American Legion Camp Jackson Post 112 takes care of cemeteries in the Brownstown area, including Fairview Cemetery, and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1083 puts flags out at Crothersville Cemetery.
Shelly said all local veterans groups do their best to make sure all veterans’ graves receive a flag.
“Last year, I got a call from a lady that said her husband was missed, and he was in a cemetery out in the county,” he said. “I told her not to worry, that we would take care of it, so we made a special trip to that cemetery and made sure her deceased husband was taken care of and any other veterans that may have been missed. We try to make sure that they are all covered.”
With Riverview Cemetery being the largest in the county, volunteers started placing flags on veterans’ graves Wednesday and planned to finish up today.
Odas Higginbotham, who lives near the Jackson-Jennings county line, was the first volunteer to show up Thursday morning at Riverview Cemetery. He has been an American Legion member for 38 years and now is the first vice commander.
He has helped place flags on graves for the past couple of years since he retired from a third-shift job.
“I do it to honor the guys that died for our country,” he said. “That way, I know somebody is going to do this for my grave one of these days.”
As he walked along rows of headstones on the north side of the cemetery, Higginbotham said he was thinking about how the veterans fought for our freedom.
He said his father was in the Army during World War II, and his uncle served in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Higginbotham was drafted and chose to serve in the Navy for four years, but he never went overseas.
“My dad talked me into joining the Navy instead of the Army,” he said. “I was glad I did it. It taught me a lot of respect for the soldiers that went overseas.”
On the far west side of Riverview Cemetery, Tom James of Seymour was placing flags on graves Thursday morning.
The Air Force veteran said he helped with that task a couple of years ago and decided to do it again this year.
“The reason is that there are a lot of guys laying here that maybe had the same feelings that I did (when joining the military),” he said. “It’s an honor to serve so we have the freedoms that we do have.”
James’ father was in the Navy during World War II, and he had other relatives in the military. He said he enlisted in the Vietnam War era to help defend his country and served 4½ years.
“Me and a friend enlisted during the Cuban crisis,” he said. “The way I look at it, I thought it was my patriotic duty, so I did it. It’s just a shame that we have wars, but when you’ve got to defend your country, that’s what you do regardless.”
Helping place flags on veterans’ graves is a patriotic duty, too, James said.
“What I’m thinking is there are guys out here that went through a lot more than I did,” he said. “It’s an honor for me to put a flag on their grave.”
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The public is invited to attend Memorial Day services planned around Jackson County.
Brownstown: 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Fairview Cemetery, 610 N. High St. Michael Hogg will be the speaker, and Max Middendorf will be master of ceremonies and lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Glen Killey will lead the flag raising, Barry Cutter will provide the invocation, John Spurgeon will sing and members of the Seymour Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1925 Honor Guard will provide a military salute. The event will end with the playing of “Taps” by Dick Parman.
Crothersville: 11 a.m. Monday at Crothersville Cemetery, corner of South County Road 1000E and East County Road 600S. Following the memorial service, a light lunch will be served at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1083, 105 W. Main St.
Seymour: 11 a.m. Monday at Riverview Cemetery, 1603 Shields Ave.
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