Mt. McCaleb Cemetery Veteran's Graves Each Honored With A U.S. Flag - May 24 2013

Back in 2002, I walked the Mt McCaleb Cemetery in Mackay (Custer County) Idaho and photographed EVERY headstone (approximately 1,500). I, then worked on entering all of the data from the headstones and photos to findagrave.com. ( link: http://www.findagrave.com ). As you may imagine, this was a daunting task, but I LOVED working on it! I love our cemetery in Mackay, Idaho and all of my deceased maternal relatives are buried here (below the Malkiewicz-Lundberg graves)! We decorate with yellow mums each year because Mom loved them. My headstone will be here too when it is time.

I made a typed plat map of the cemetery. You might think I was proficient at making things like this - I WAS NOT and it took me a long time to create.

We (Earl Lockie and I) enlarged and framed the plat map for display at the cemetery. Harold Smith's family provided the little open kiosk building for the display and cemetery book.

Since, 2002, I have kept a typed excel Cemetery Book for the Mt. McCaleb Cemetery so people can find their graves. Sample Section:

City Manager, Ken Day, keeps the official cemetery book at Mackay City Hall and he HELPED me identify the location of more than 7 pages of graves that were missing from my list. I WANTED TO HUG THIS MAN!!!!

Before this time, it was a "wander around the cemetery" to find your graves.

Each Memorial Day, the American Legion and the local scouts place a memorial U.S. Flag on each veteran's gave (approximately 200 at this time). Locating the veteran's graves has always been a challenge and NOT MISSING any even a more or a formidable task. Hence, this year, I wanted to create a document that could used by the flag bearers showing the location of all the veteran's graves. I had a really good start on the project with Jani and Robbyn arrived to HELP ME - thank the universe! They literally spent days in the cemetery verifying  the location of graves and updating the excel list.

I made arrangements for the local Cub and Boy Scouts, along with Scoutmaster Wayne Olsen and the Commander of the local American Legion, Campbell Gardett to meet at the cemetery this morning to place a U.S. Flag at each veteran's grave using the NEW SYSTEM. I was so happy to see so much help this morning!

Scoutmaster Wayne Olsen instructed the scouts on why we honor veterans in this way and how to place the U.S. Flag in their honor locations at each veteran's grave. 

Each adult leader took scouts and a bundle of flags and off they went in a systematic way to mark the veteran's graves. The flags will be picked up and stored at the American Legion on the evening of Memorial Day. 

Cub Scouts from Pack 98, Jayden Bell, Caleb Hampton, and Lafe Gamett (below) were great helpers!