The Floyd Lewis Foundation recently completed their “Salute to Veterans Project.” Graceland Cemetery was chosen as the location to place 60 flag poles, which will fly Old Glory during specified times of the year. There will be a row of flags running east/west on both the north and south ends, a row running north/south down the middle, and five flags are on the west entrance along Lynx Lane. These five flag poles will fly the U.S. flag and the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard flags as well. The flags will fly for ten days coinciding with five holidays each year. These holidays are Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Flag Day, and Labor Day.The Floyd Lewis Foundation will also fly flags on the day of any veteran funeral at Graceland Cemetery upon family request.
It took many hours of drilling, pouring concrete, and leveling of the poles to complete the project. The project was completed by Floyd Lewis family members Mike Skillman, Chris Skillman, Doug Skillman, Ty Skillman, Sandy Lewis, and Steve Lewis. Former board member Mike Tweedy also worked on the project. All FLF board members took the time to plan and design the layout of the flags. Many thanks to Burlington Building Materials for supplies and Lane Jones and the cemetery board for their cooperation.
