For Veterans Day, Serving Those Who Served Us

Twice a year, in May around Memorial Day and in November around Veterans Day, Jewish War Veterans Post 112 brings volunteers to Atlanta-area cemeteries to plant fresh American flags at the graves of U.S. military veterans, as well as Holocaust survivors, in and near the Jewish sections.

Sandy Shulman plants a flag in tribute to a Jewish veteran buried at Arlington Memorial Park,

On Sunday morning, Nov. 5, veterans and their relatives carried out that mission at Arlington Memorial Park in SandySprings, Crest Lawn Memorial Park in Northwest Atlanta and Greenwood Cemetery in Southwest Atlanta.

At Arlington Memorial Park, 11 volunteers placed more than 250 flags at graves in a little more than an hour. “Thank you for your dedication to those who served us,” Navy veteran Barry Benator, whose veteran father is buried in the cemetery, told the group before dispatching them across the northern sections of the graveyard.

Ten volunteers planted flags at Crest Lawn, thanks in part to the participation of the Hebrew Order of David, and an Explorer post joined Richard Chastain and Fred Ross for the task at Greenwood.

: Volunteering at Crest Lawn Memorial Park are (from right) Henry Levine, Steve Edelkind, Mark Hauler, Steven Tabb, Alan Wind, Seymour Levine, George Heart and family, and Jay Bailey.