LEWISTON — For local volunteers, the same respect that went into placing nearly 5,000 flags on veterans graves across the city now needs to go into removing them.

“It’s the same job they did a couple weeks ago, but in reverse,” Lewiston City Clerk Kathy Montejo said.

Volunteers from the Franco American War Veterans Post 31 are hoping to gather as many volunteers as they can at 9 a.m. Saturday at St. Peter’s Cemetery on Switzerland Road to walk the grounds and collect the flags.

“The biggest difference is, collecting the flags goes much quicker than placing them,” Montejo said. “Volunteers don’t have to examine each stone, looking for military information. They can pick up the flags.”

Volunteers who placed flags at other cemeteries are coordinating the flag collections themselves.

“One man has already collected flags at one of the neighborhood cemeteries and brought them back to our office,” Montejo said.

Once collected, the flags will be packed away and stored until they can be burned in a proper flag ceremony.

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

At least 5,000 of those graves memorialize veterans, and each received a flag for Memorial Day thanks to Danforth and volunteers from local veterans groups, Knights of Columbus, Boy Scouts and motorcycle clubs.

Some allow flags and decorations year-round, but most ask to have flags and other decorations removed by Flag Day.

“For most cemeteries, it’s a matter of maintenance,” she said. “They can’t really mow properly if the flags are still there.”

staylor@sunjournal.com

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