Veterans Flag group honors members

Janet Morales

A meeting of the Moberly Veterans Flag Committee was held Tuesday night at the VFW Post 2654.

This group is responsible for implementing the Avenue of Flags at Oakland Cemetery. Flags are sponsored to honor a veteran. The flags are flown on Memorial Day, July 4^th and Veterans Day.

Phil Merry, co-coordinator,  said there are currently 113 sponsored flags with the group’s goal set at 500.

Mary Lee Noel and Charles Carter, a former Marine sergeant, were recognized for being instrumental in garnering nearly 20 percent of the flags sponsored.

Other members of the implementation committee were introduced by Mary Wolf, co-coordinator. They included: Kevin Bartholmey, American Legion; Paula Wilson and Sherry Meyer, Girl Scouts; Harold and Pat Headrick, VFW and members of the historic committee; Betty Brooks, American Legion; Elaine and Danny Avery, VFW; Commander Dorothy Latson and her husband Art Latson, retired Air Force and chair of the Veterans Flag Day project; Suzanne Hogan, 4-H; Mike Lear, news and farm director for KWIX KRES KIRK, and his wife Lisa; Diane Harlan, director of Mainstreet Moberly; Andy Morris, Moberly City Manager; and Greg Hodge, Moberly Finance Director.

Wolf said the first flying of the flags took place last July 4^th. She said since many of the flags had been sponsored by people who live out-of-town, they had planned for about 75 to attend the celebration with 300 actually taking part.

Anyone wishing to sponsor a flag in honor of a veteran, may contact Merry at 660-998-3687 or Wolf at 660-651