150 Volunteers Honor 10,762 Veterans in 90 Minutes

When 150 volunteers arrived at the Massachusetts Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Agawam on Wednesday morning, they came with a mission that went far beyond planting flags.

Together, they honored 10,762 veterans in just 90 minutes. But here's what makes this tradition truly special: volunteers don't just place a flag at each grave. They speak the name on every headstone out loud.

"A person is only truly gone when the last person stops speaking their name," volunteers say. It's a belief that drives hundreds of community members to show up each Memorial Day season.

Marie Meiers, Vice President of Friends of the Mass. Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Agawam, watched as the hills transformed from green grass to red, white, and blue. "We could not do this without all of the help that we get from the volunteers," she said.

For many volunteers, this work is deeply personal. Marline Claremont, the organization's president, has her son buried in Section 9. Marie has family there too.

"You can't expect the staff to put out 10,800 flags," Claremont explained. "It means a lot to us."

While cemetery staff prepped the sections beforehand, the community did the heavy lifting. The volunteers moved through rows of headstones, honoring each veteran by name and placing flags with care.

The Ripple Effect

This simple act creates waves that extend far beyond the cemetery gates. When volunteers speak the names of veterans who served decades ago, they're teaching younger generations about gratitude and remembrance. Families visiting graves find comfort knowing their loved ones are honored by strangers who chose to care.

The tradition brings together people from all walks of life for a shared purpose. In an era when communities often feel disconnected, 150 people waking up early to honor others shows the kind of unity we're all capable of.

"It's just a beautiful cemetery. The staff does such a wonderful job maintaining this," Meiers said. "We just want to support them as much as we can."

By the time the volunteers finished, every single veteran had been remembered by name, and 10,762 flags stood at attention across the hills of Agawam.