VFW Post 12118 Memorial Day Flag ceremony - honorable remembrance

Approximately 80 people joined the James D Piper VFW Post 12118 on Memorial Day in the Copperopolis Cemetery for the annual Memorial Day flag raising ceremony to commemorate those who have served our Country.

The ceremony commenced with the pledge of allegiance and the National Anthem led by the Copper Hills 4H. It was followed by the heart stopping sound of a 21 gun salute from the VFW Post 12118 Honor Guard followed by a slow lowering of the flag as the haunting sounds of Taps was played, signifying the ‘Fallen Warriors End’ the end of a journey. Hats were removed, hands were placed over hearts and tears filled the eyes of many.

Bouquets of white for purity, blue for eternity and red for memory of the heroic dead who have fallen in defense of the United States were placed at the base of the flagpole by officers within the VFW. A wreath was placed beside the flowers by the President of the Ladies Auxiliary symbolizing remembrance.

Closing the ceremony, Cub Scout Pack 347 and local girl scouts sang My Country Tis of Thee.

The veterans then paired up with the children of Copper Hills 4H and Cub Scout Pack 347 to place flags on the 38 known graves of veterans who are laid to rest in the Copperopolis Cemetery.  

“The freedoms we enjoy today have been earned with these fallen veterans lives.” Said Gilbert.

For more photos CLICK HERE

County places wreath at fallen heros memorial

Happy Memorial Day

Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.

Early Observances of Memorial Day

The Civil War claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history, requiring the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. By the late 1860s Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.

Please join us....

Memorial Day Flag Ceremony 5-26-14

38 flags to be placed on veteran graves on Memorial Day in Copperopolis

Thanks to the herculean efforts of members of the James D Piper VFW Post 12118 and additional boots on the ground time and internet research by VFW member Rick Westberg and his wife VFW aux member Darrla, a complete list of veterans interned in the Copperopolis Cemetery has been created, along with maps and photos.

This information will be used for the placement of flags on each veteran's grave site at the VFW Post 12118 Memorial Day flag ceremony being held on May 26 at 10:00 am.

Veterans dating back to the Civil War have been laid to rest in the Copperopolis Cemetery.

One such veteran, John Braids, was a member of the GAR - the Grand Army of the Republic. The GAR was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, Marines and Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1886, the organization was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died. GAR was one of the first organized veteran advocacy groups in American politics, supporting voting rights for black veterans and lobbying the US Congress to establish veterans' pensions. Seemingly, the forefathers to modern day Veterans of Foreign Wars.

While researching the Westbergs also discovered the headstone of Geo W Bowie who died in Marne France in October 20, 1918. "With some time on the internet I was able to confirm that he indeed died in WWI in France from "bronco pneumonia". He was a Private in the 115th Trench Mortar Battery and the chances are good that his final resting place is in England with two of his cousins who also perished in WWI." Said Darrla.

Though the research hours were long, Darrla clearly found the experience rewarding, "Each and every headstone represents a story of courage, sacrifice, and patriotism. I am grateful for the opportunity to give them the respect they deserve."

For more pictures CLICK HERE

Memorial Day flag ceremony May 26, 2014

Please join the James D. Piper VFW Post 12118 of Copperopolis on Memorial Day May 26, 2014 at 10:00 am at the Copperopolis Cemetery for a flag raising ceremony.

The community is welcome, please attend and honor those who have served.

Following the ceremony, members of the local cub scout troop, 4H and CFPD Explorers will place flags on the graves of every veteran within the cemetery.

Special Request photo rerun

A special request was made to rerun a photo from my year in review through my lens collection.

The following picture is of Vietnam Veteran Donald Schand as he placed a bouquet of white flowers at the base of the flag pole in the Copperopolis Cemetery on Memorial Day 2013, symbolizing purity and innocence.

Other flowers placed that day were red for hardiness and valor and blue for vigilance, preservation and justice.

Copperopolis Honors Our Heros on Memorial Day

A small crowd gathered in Copperopolis Cemetery on Memorial Day 2013 to commemorate the day with a flag-raising and wreath laying ceremony. While many chose to join the group, some preferred the solitude of the cemetery to pay their respects to those they had lost – to honor their memory silently.

The James D Piper VFW Post 12118 hosts the yearly event for the community with participation from the VFW Post 12118 Ladies Auxiliary and the Copper Hills 4H. 

After a short welcome speech by Commander Al Gilbert the ceremony commenced with respectful silence as VFW Officers slowly raised the flag. Military personnel representing WWII, Korea, and Vietnam were present and accounted for in pressed shirts and crisp covers. The salute taught to them in their youth still fresh in their minds as they proudly saluted their American flag, the same flag they had fought for, the same flag some of their friends had died for. 

Memorial Day flag raising ceremony TODAY 5-27-13 Coperopolis Cemetery

The James D Piper VFW Post 12118 of Copperopolis will be holding a community flag raising ceremony 5-27-13 at 10am at the Copperopolis Cemetery.
The event, open to the whole community, will be followed by the placing of American flags on the veterans graves at rest within the cemetery.

Following the ceremony the VFW Ladies Auxiliary will be holding a community potluck at Blackcreek Park. Open to the community.

Memorial Day - a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Memorial Day Flag Raising Ceremony

The James D Piper VFW Post 12118 of Copperopolis cordially invites the community of Copperopolis and beyond to the Memorial Day flag raising ceremony on 5-27-13 at 10am at the Copperopolis Cemetery.

The event, open to the whole community, will be followed by the placing of American flags on the veterans graves at rest within the cemetery.

Following the ceremony the VFW Ladies Auxiliary will be holding a community potluck at Blackcreek Park. Open to the community.

VFW Post 12118 Memorial Day Flag Ceremony

On May 28, 2012 the newly formed VFW Post 12118 held their first community flag raising ceremony at the Copperopolis Cemetery. Weeks before much work had gone into repairing the aging flagpole for the event.

The ceremony included a moving speech from Commander Al Gilbert, a wreath laid by veteran Richard Dost, a bouquet of flowers laid by veterans Don Schand and Danny Thomas. Each a symbol of remembrance, honor and respect for those who had served in our military and are now gone...but not forgotten.

The names of each veteran laid to rest in Copperopolis Cemetery was read, as was the war or era in which they served. In the weeks leading up to the ceremony the cemetery had been carefully mapped out by members of the VFW with the names and sites of each veteran buried within its walls. Following the ceremony youth representatives from Copper Hills 4-H assisted veterans with the placement of American flags on each veterans grave.

For more pictures CLICK HERE

Memorial Day - the history

Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.