Photo Hunt: Different

Cherokee Memorial Park, Lodi, California

The manner in which Memorial Day is observed at Cherokee Memorial Park here in Lodi is different and unique. I know of no other cemetery that makes such an effort to honor those who have served the United States. Each of the large flags and the flagpole bearing it has been donated by the family of a veteran whose final resting place is the park. The number of flags flown gets larger every year. Each of the small flags represents a man or woman who has given his/her life in the current conflict in Iraq.

My father, a World War II veteran, loved to visit the park on Memorial Day each year to see all of the flags. He was accorded full military honors at his funeral and we immediately donated the flag that was presented to my mother because we knew that was his wish. I took this photo of my mother and boys standing beside his flag about 11 or 12 years ago: