Local News

Boy Scouts, community honor veterans and tradition with flags

WARREN -- On a chilly Saturday before Memorial Day, the grounds of Oakwood Cemetery had dozens of Boy Scouts upholding their 50-year tradition of honoring veterans by placing flags and plaques on their graves.

They were joined by several helping hands. In total, 25 Boy Scouts of America members from Troop 101, joined by three Cub Scouts, four National Honor Society members from Warren G. Harding High School, 15 adult volunteers that walked the grounds to commemorate those who served.

The efforts were led by the Scouts BSA Troop 101, focused on identifying and marking veterans' graves, some going as far back as the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

Matt McCracken, an assistant scoutmaster with Troop 101, explained the process behind the tradition. He said it began in 1975 under the troop's first scoutmaster, William Edmund Brown, who was also a World War II veteran.

"We use a map created in the 1980s by an Eagle Scout who researched and plotted veterans' graves across the cemetery," McCracken said. "In the 2000s, another Eagle Scout digitized it, capturing images of older markers that are fading with time."

He estimated that hundreds, possibly thousands, of veterans are buried in Oakwood, with Troop 101 focusing on scattered older plots, including those from the Spanish-American War and earlier.

The event took on added significance this year after vandals recently toppled a memorial bench and a dozen headstones in Plot 12, a section dedicated to veterans.

Alfred Long, 73, a Warren resident who visits Oakwood daily to honor his late wife, Penny Sue Long, was among those assisting in the cleanup. The bench, dedicated to his wife, was a personal loss, but Long and his son joined volunteers in restoring the area, ensuring flags were replanted with care.

For Alex Kramer, a quartermaster with Troop 101, the morning was a chance to reflect on the meaning of service.

"I've been doing this for six or seven years, since I was a Cub Scout," said Kramer, now a teenager. "Seeing everyone come together to honor veterans, it's about giving back to those who fought for our freedom."

Those who braved the unusual spring chill Saturday to walk the cemetery's rows, were searching for names etched in stone.

Among the volunteers was Deborah Murphy, 68, of Marion, Ohio. She said she learned of the event through a Facebook post by Councilwoman Helen Rucker, D-at Large.

For Murphy, the day was deeply personal. She discovered a connection to George Spade, a Spanish-American War veteran buried in Oakwood. Spade, who served in the same Ohio Infantry regiment, was one of Murphy's ancestors. Another relative, John Murphy, fought in the Civil War's 105th Volunteer Infantry and survived the Battle of Chickamauga, she said some years later he passed from complications from his wounds.

"It's surreal to see these names and feel that history," Murphy said. "Being out here, you're serving, connecting with Trumbull County's past."

Chuck Ciapala, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1090 and outreach coordinator for the Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission, praised the turnout. "The Boy Scouts always do a great job, but when the community shows up like this, it shows how strong Warren is," Ciapala said. "Our youth, from all the schools, are out here shining, making sure this tradition carries on."

The scene was a reminder of the cemetery's role as an archive of Trumbull County's veteran community.

To mark the day, Ciapala said he plans to attend the local parade and host an open house at the VFW, welcoming the entire community. McCracken, meanwhile, looks forward to a barbecue picnic with fellow Eagle Scouts.