Girl Scouts of Suffolk County plant flags at veterans’ graves for Memorial Day

More than 50 girls from the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County (GSSC) honored Long Island military veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice by planting American flags at their graves at Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton on Saturday, May 23, in an annual Memorial Day Weekend salute to our country’s fallen troops and their families.

“I feel it’s the least we can do for our soldiers who gave everything for our country,” said Laura Sorgie, a service unit coordinator for the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County who has been organizing the event for more than 25 years. “It’s important to teach the girls about patriotism, service and gratitude.”

As part of the morning, Girl Scouts fanned out across the field of grave markers in Section 4 of the cemetery. As they stopped at each marker, they read the name and service branch of the person buried there, paused to reflect on their sacrifice, and then planted a flag to honor them. Calverton National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 300,000 military members, spanning more than 1,000 acres.

The event is part of the GSSC county-wide Service Unit activities and included girls ages 5 to 16 from Mastic Beach, Shirley and Moriches.

“A lot of people expect this to be a sad event,” said Joslyn Lawrence, 17, a Girl Scout from Shirley, whose great grandfather died in World War II and whose grandfather served in the Vietnam War. “I think it’s a happy event to remember all the joy that these people risked and gave their lives for.”

The girls also earned a special “Calverton National Cemetery” patch to wear on their sashes and vests.