LEWISTON — When it comes to veterans, Willie Danforth figures he knows St. Peter’s Cemetery pretty well.

Danforth, commander of Franco-American War Veterans Post 31, is one of many who volunteer their time in the week leading up to Memorial Day, marking grave sites with small flags. He’s done it for years, walking from stone to stone in St. Peter’s, looking for markings that denote military service.

“I know where most of them are, but I will tell you, you can never be sure,” he said. “I went into an unfamiliar area last year and looked under a lilac, and there was one there.”

The stone got a flag and a salute.

“I just think it’s important that every veteran gets remembered,” Danforth said. “I take a lot of pride in my service. My dad passed that along to me and I passed it along to my sons. That kind of service deserves to be recognized.”

The city has 13 cemeteries, ranging from the large St. Peter’s and Riverside cemeteries to smaller graveyards scattered around Lewiston neighborhoods.

At least 5,000 of those graves memorialize veterans, and each one gets a flag for Memorial Day, according to a 2001 state law.

“The volunteers, they are all kind of unsung local heroes,” said City Clerk Kathy Montejo. “We asked the local veterans’ groups and some of the volunteer groups if they’d adopt a cemetery, and many said yes.”

Since 2001, it’s been the city’s responsibility to pay for those flags, but Montejo said she quickly recruited volunteers from local veterans’ groups, Knights of Columbus, Boy Scouts and motorcycle clubs to place the flags.

“We don’t have a master list, so I have to gather a group of people with an armload of flags,” Montejo said. “If military service is indicated, they put a flag down.”

The city has markers going all the way back to the Revolutionary War in some of the smaller neighborhood graveyards, Montejo said.

“The service groups take responsibility for the larger cemeteries, but we may ask the neighbors for the smaller graveyards,” she said. “They may end up being the de facto caretakers, anyway, and most of them know the area better than anyone else.”

The day follows an easy rhythm: Examine the grave and look for a foot marker or a notation on the headstone.

“The newer graves have a smaller marker at the foot,” Danforth said. “But we have older stones, too, going back to the Civil War, and they may just say something on the stone itself, like ‘Served, 1st Battalion.’ That’s what we look for.”

If they find one, they use a screwdriver to make a small hole in the turf, just to the left of the headstone, and leave the flag in the hole. Danforth and others may trim a bit of grass around each stone or brush it off.

“Each one of these flags, and each of these stones, represents one veteran who has given their life for their country,” said Moe Dutil, a member of Franco-American Veterans Post 31. “So it’s important for the community to see that, and give back a little to just remember that.”

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Memorial Day flag volunteer groups

Broadview Cemetery,
East Avenue, neighbors.

Clough Cemetery
 Old Lisbon Road, Members of the Longley-Dionne VFW Post 9150.

Davis Cemetery,
Sabattus Street, Lewiston Police Dept. Honor Guard.

Dill Cemetery
Avalon Street, neighbor.

Garcelon Cemetery
Ferry Road, Garcelon Cemetery Association

Goddard Cemetery
River Road,  Lewiston Public Works Department.

GAR Cemetery (Grand Army of the Republic),
Riverside Street, the Knights of Columbus.

Herrick Cemetery
Main Street,  Lewiston City Clerk’s Office.

Mt. Hope Cemetery
Mt. Hope Avenue, Lewiston Lodge of Elks and the Longely-Dionne VFW Post 9150 members.

No Name Pond Cemetery
No Name Pond Road, Lewiston City Clerk’s Office.

Randall Road Cemetery
Randall Road, neighbors

Riverside Cemetery
Summer Street,  the Knights of Columbus

St. Peters
Switzerland Road, Franco-American War Veteran’s Post 31

Source: Lewiston City Clerk’s office