By Gail Smith
If you have driven by Maple Grove Cemetery on Hill Road in Hoosick Falls recently, you have probably noticed an American Flag and some crosses that are being displayed fairly close to the road.
In May of this year, Voice of a Vet kicked-off our Adopt a Serviceman program, the second phase of our Town of Hoosick Tribute Flag Program which honors the 99 servicemen from our community who died in service.[private]
The memorial crosses that are currently on display represent 11 servicemen who have already been adopted. Each cross states the individual’s name, when and where he died, and in which war he served.
Our hope in doing this is for 2 things: first and foremost, that as you go by, you will be reminded of the ultimate sacrifice that these men (and their families) have made so we can have the freedoms we enjoy today in our great country; and second, that you would consider adopting one of the remaining servicemen.
The cost is $200 to purchase a memorial cross in remembrance of one of these men, or you can make a donation of any amount that will be combined with someone else’s (you can choose who you want to apply it to if you’d like). You don’t have to be a family member or even know the serviceman to adopt, just have a desire to help us honor them.
A meaningful Christmas gift for your family or members of your church, organization, group or class might be to show your appreciation to these men by adopting one of them who has no family member.
As crosses are purchased, they will be added to the display (assuming the ground is not too frozen to put them in). If it is too cold, they will be put in as soon as possible in the spring. We would like to thank Maple Grove Cemetery for allowing us to display the crosses there. When all men have been adopted, we will relocate them to a final resting place in the Town of Hoosick (TBD) that will serve as a permanent memorial site for all 99.
A kiosk is being made to be placed by the road that will contain information, including the names of those yet to be adopted and order forms. We invite you to stop by for a few minutes and pay tribute to these men and pick up some information when it’s available.
You can also obtain information on “Town of Hoosick Tribute Flag Program” on Facebook or by calling Tom McMartin (686-5075), Gail Smith (686-9888) or Joyce Brewer (258-5772).[/private]
