ELWOOD, Ill.– Staff volunteers from NuMark Credit Union joined members of the community to place American flags at the gravesites of veterans buried at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.
This year was NuMark’s third time participating in Flags In Day, a tradition that started in 1948 and referred to then as Decoration Day, the credit union said.
The very first one was held at the Arlington National Cemetery in Vermont by soldiers who were assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. 1340 WJOL also provided live coverage of the event.
“Having WJOL do a live broadcast for Flags In Day has really helped get the word out about this event,” said Maria Marquez, NuMark’s marketing assistant, in a statement. “When NuMark first participated in 2023, it took over two hours for volunteers to place 70,000 flags that needed to be placed even though there were a lot of people that came out. This year, we needed to place 86,000 flags and the fact that we were able to leave within one hour shows how much the community has come together to honor those that have served and to be able to be a part of that feels great.”
“As a veteran, taking time over Memorial Day weekend to reflect and honor all the men and women that have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country is very important to me,” Ashley Tuburan, compliance officer at NuMark and U.S. Navy veteran, said in a statement. “Sometimes we forget that this weekend is much more than the kick-off to summer or an extra day off work. Without the sacrifices made by those who served before us, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to enjoy this chance to relax with family and friends. Volunteering at Flags In Day allows me to take a moment to read the name, branch of service, and rank of everyone laid to rest, and take a moment of silence to honor them and place a flag at their grave.”
