Post 370, volunteers hold annual ceremony
Wednesday evening, July 2 American Legion Post 370 and several volunteers held its annual ceremony, placing an American flag at veterans’ graves in the Highlands cemetery.
Paul Showalter, Post 370 Commander, addressed the crowd assembled at the 5 p.m. ceremony: “We are gathered here to honor those veterans whose sacrifices enable us to enjoy the freedoms we have in this wonderful country. This is the 249th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence by 56 brave men.”
Showalter, a combat veteran, served as an Air Force pilot from 1963 to 1972, followed by active reserve until 1993. He retired as a colonel. During his career piloting an F-4, he flew 134 combat missions, 100 of these over NorthVietnam, 68 of those over Hanoi.
Some 280 veterans are buried in the Highlands cemetery. Town of Highlands’ Carlton Wheatley prepared a giant map locating each veteran’s grave site. The American Legion breaks the giant map down into nine sections. Under the direction of Phil Potts, the section maps are given to teams of Legionnaires and volunteers so they can place the flags at each veteran’s grave site. Potts, though not a veteran himself, has been volunteering at this annual event for over 20 years.
“My father, my grandfather, three uncles and a lot of cousins who were veterans are buried here,” Potts says.
As each flag is placed, the team steps back, salutes, calls the veteran’s name and says, “Thanks for your service.”
The ceremonial placing of flags was not limited to the Highlands cemetery. Legionnaire Jim Grantham also took five flags to the First Presbyterian Church Memorial Gardens where five veterans were also laid to rest. Grantham, who served in the Air Force from 1966 to 1970 was discharged as a Sergeant and completed his education with the GI bill.
Legionnaires also place 14 flags at the base of a plaque by the cemetery’s flag pole, bearing the names of Highlands veterans buried elsewhere.
Representatives of every branch of the military service participated in the ceremony.
Showalter was in the Air Force as was Ed Dunbar, who was a pilot from 1970 to 1993, flying F-4s, F-5s and F-15s. He retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Bill Edwards served in the Coast Guard, and his wife was a nurse, serving from 1967 to 1973.
Ed McCluskey, a proud member of the Marine Corps Drill Team, served from 1962 to 1967 spending time at the White House as well as Guantanamo Bay.
Chip Snyder, a naval aviator from 1965 to 1970, flew submarine hunters in the Mediterranean. The Navy refers to those flying airplanes as aviators, because pilots man the small ships that guide the large ships into port.
Bob Trevathan, an Air Force pilot from 1968 to 1973, flew the plane that brought the POWs back to our country from Vietnam.
Scott Clarke served in the Army National Guard from 1963 to 1969. His grandfather served in World War I.
Jim Mosely reached the rank of staff sergeant in the Air Force, serving from 1989 to 1997.
Disclaimer: The ceremony was especially meaningful to this reporter as his father and his wife’s father both saw overseas combat, while serving in the Army during World War II. After serving in the reserves following the war, the former retired as a major, the latter as a lieutenant colonel.
The reporter served in the Army 1961-62, discharged as a first lieutenant.
- By Mac Isaacs
Highlander Contributor