Pleasant Grove Cemetery Avenue of Flags will remain up through Fourth of July
For the first time this year, the Avenue of Flags at McGregor’s Pleasant Grove Cemetery will remain up past Memorial Day. The tribute will extend through Flag Day and the Fourth of July to give community members more opportunities to view it. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
While people are at Pleasant Grove Cemetery, they will also notice photos displayed at some of the veterans’ graves. Thanks to resident Joe Brooks, around 80 graves at Pleasant Grove and 20 at St. Mary’s Cemetery have been marked with photos as well as the veteran’s name, branch of service and other details.
Photo markers provide insight into veterans buried there
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
One of McGregor’s long-standing Memorial Day traditions will outlast the holiday this year. Pocket City American Legion Post #267 plans to leave the Avenue of Flags at Pleasant Grove Cemetery up through Fourth of July.
“Typically, they’re up three to five days, but now we’re going to leave them up for three holidays: Memorial Day, Flag Day and Fourth of July,” said Legion Commander Aaron LaHaie.
LaHaie and other Legion members hope it will give more people an opportunity to view the flags, which have been erected in the cemetery since 1991. A “community effort” of volunteers assures it’s done each year.
According to the North Iowa Times archives, the effort started with 22 flags. Today, it’s grown to 46, stretching from the 14 in the “Circle of Honor” where the Memorial Day service is held, along the main cemetery road to the Civil War monument.
Each flag pole has a plaque at its base memorializing a local veteran with their name and service era. Eleven placed in the “Circle of Honor” represent local service members killed in action.
“We actually have 2.5 years worth of plaques,” LaHaie said, “so it rotates every year. It’s neat to see that history, how many people served.”
LaHaie encourages people to visit Pleasant Grove Cemetery if they haven’t viewed it in its red, white and blue splendor.
“It’s cool looking up and down at it,” he said.
Cheri Leachman agreed.
“People need to come and see what this looks like. How it makes you feel,” she shared.
While people are at the cemetery, they will also notice photos displayed at some of the veterans’ graves. Thanks to resident Joe Brooks, around 80 graves at Pleasant Grove and 20 at St. Mary’s Cemetery have been marked with photos as well as the veteran’s name, branch of service and other details.
He largely collected the information from family members and hopes to gather more. There are 383 documented veterans buried at Pleasant Grove alone, over two-thirds of which are from World War II or later. Around 100 Civil War veterans are buried in the cemetery.
“For the Civil War, there will probably be no pictures,” Brooks said, “but I’m looking for service members in uniform. A lot of times, we’ve known these individuals as older men, and it’s such a difference to see them in uniform. It also has the branch of service, if they were involved in a war or what they did. I’ve also asked for short stories.”
Brooks plans to leave the photo markers up as long as the Avenue of Flags.
“People like to come and walk around the cemetery. This will give them something more to see,” he said.
