A young boy places a flag on a gravestone at Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. Dozens of volunteers gathered at the cemetery to place flags ahead of Veterans Day.
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 | 2 a.m.
This Veterans Day, the U section at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery looks vastly different than last year when Dawn Kramer traveled from her home in Michigan to visit her father’s gravesite.
A year ago, she had expected to see the Boulder City cemetery lined with miniature American flags for the federal holiday honoring those who served. But because there weren’t any, she set a goal that all 1,300 gravesites in her father’s section of the cemetery would be adorned with flags on future Veterans Days.
Kramer was worried it might take her a full day or two to plant so many flags by herself, but it turns out her patriotic gesture resonated with the community.
With the help of the Southern Nevada Patriot Guard Riders, local military members, several Metro Police officers and dozens of service-minded locals, she easily met her goal.
On Monday morning, volunteers finished placing the flags on all of the graves in under an hour, setting the scene for a special celebration today, which will culminate around 4:30 p.m. when the Guard Riders will play taps.
Inspired by the strong turnout, Kramer is eager to expand the scope of the project by amassing enough flags to dot entire swaths of the cemetery that serves as the final resting ground for 40,000 veterans and their spouses.
