Nearly 3,000 flags placed in honor of Memorial Day

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. − "...we all know a veteran, we all love a veteran."

In time for Memorial Day, West Lafayette cemetery reflected that statement some 2,900 times over.

Duke Energy, in partnership with Indiana Veterans Home, on Tuesday placed 2,900 flags at the veteran's home cemetery in honor of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day, a federal holiday observed this year on May 29, is dedicated to honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

Each year, Duke Energy participates in planting flags at veterans' cemeteries.

"Duke Energy has been a part of this for six or seven years," Dagny Zupin, government and community relations manager for Duke Energy's Lafayette office, said. "So every Memorial Day and every Veterans Day, our Lafayette team comes out and we place flags at the graves at the Indiana Veterans Home cemetery.

"So there is about 2,900 graves here, just shy of 3,000. And we had a group of 20 here (volunteering). We start at 7:30 (a.m.) and we get done pretty quick just because we've got good numbers."

Zupin further said that Duke Energy participates in placing the flags around the two military-focused holidays because of its own connection to military veterans.

"We have a lot of service members and a lot of veterans in our Lafayette office, and I think we all know a veteran, we all love a veteran," Zupin said. "And so, starting our morning like this a couple times a year just reminds us to be thankful. I think it really makes us feel a sense of community. This is something our whole team looks forward to every single year — the opportunity to be together and have this thanks."

Mark Thompson, a volunteer with the Tippecanoe County Veterans Council and an Army Vietnam veteran in the early 1970s, further spoke about the importance of Memorial Day and the local Veterans Council.

"There's 99 official cemeteries throughout the county," Thompson said, "but there's like 110 actual (cemeteries). And so, in past years, we've passed out 6,000 flags and we got the idea (to expand our reach), so this year, we upped it. We've got 9,000 flags, so we're trying to coordinate with all the different cemeteries. And this is an easy one to do, if you will, even though there's 2,900 some-odd graves. But with Duke Energy (helping out), it goes quick.

"...(Volunteering in the Veterans Council) is a way to give back," Thompson further said. "Like right here, here's 2,950-plus individuals who served our country. And it's a way to recognize that it's important to keep the momentum going."

Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Around 2,900 flags placed at the Indiana Veterans Home cemetery