The Memorial Day ceremony in West Point, Iowa, will feature the usual “Avenue of Flags” display, with an improvement this year. American Legion Auxiliary President Rita Harmeyer explains the cemetery’s flag collection was in poor shape.Last Memorial Day, high wind whipped the flags and left them tattered badly. Harmeyer says city officials asked the auxiliary if the ladies could tidy up the flags. Harmeyer talked with a former warden at the prison, and he suggested the prison’s upholstery shop. Each flag comes from the casket of a local military veteran, but many had become too worn to be suitable for display.Rita and her husband, an American Legion member, took flags to the shop and got 75 of them fixed up. Harmeyer says there are about 135 flags in all, and when they’re flying along the West Point Catholic cemetery’s winding walk, they’ll be quite a sight on Memorial day.
