'A way to honor them': At Fort Sam, volunteers plant flags on thousand

Jun 18, 2023

Petty Officer 2nd Class Hannah Patten maintained her military bearing as she stood before the headstone for Pfc. Robert P. Primm.

With precision in every move, she put her right foot in front of the marker and stabbed a screwdriver into the ground just behind her heel. She then used the screwdriver to drive a small American flag firmly into the ground, stood up and took two steps back.

Patten, 23, who has been in the navy for six years, then addressed Primm, a World War I private first class who died in 1961. In a low whisper she said: "Thank you for your service."

Patten was among the volunteers on Sunday taking part in the Memorial Day tradition of planting American flags at the headstones that fill the grounds at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. The event was organized by Flags for Fallen Vets, and the group said close to 3,000 volunteers took part. Flags for Fallen Vets organized flag-planting events at 12 Department of Veterans Affairs cemeteries around the country.

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Irma Cardenas visits her husband's grave as volunteers place flags in front of headstones at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sunday morning.

Maria Elena Johnson prays in front of her husband's grave as volunteers place flags in front of headstones at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sunday morning.

A U.S. Army soldier kneels to place a flag in front of a headstone as other soldiers stand at attention at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sunday morning as part of a Memorial Day event.

U.S. Army soldiers place American flags in front of headstones at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sunday morning as part of a Memorial Day event.

Flags were also to be placed at headstones on San Antonio National Cemetery and Kerrville National Cemetery over the weekend.

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The tradition of flag planting goes back decades at the historic cemetery in the heart of San Antonio, a city with such a strong presence of the armed forces and historic figures from the Army and Air Force it's often been called "Military City, U.S.A."

"San Antonio history can't be written without one of its enduring narratives being the service of men and women who wear the cloth of our nation, and the family and community many of them leave behind here in San Antonio after making the ultimate sacrifice and preservation of our liberty, and it's always important and gives our residents great pride to see their sacrifice honored and never forgotten," Mayor Ron Nirenberg said.

Manuel Donias, left, hands out bundles of American flags to place in front of headstones at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sunday morning.

The observance of Memorial Day began after the U.S. Civil War. The head of a Union veterans group called the Grand Army of the Republic announced the creation of Decoration Day on May 30, when Americans could place flowers on the graves of deceased combatants. The first large observance was held the same year at Arlington National Cemetery.

Fort Sam became a post cemetery in 1924 and was designated a national cemetery in 1937. It's now home to 180,038 deceased veterans and some of their close relatives.

A Memorial Day ceremony at Fort Sam is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday with a musical prelude from the 323rd Army Band and Alamo Metro Chorus. Canyon Lake High School's JROTC will post and retire the colors, and retired Army Maj. Gen. Alfred "Freddie" Valenzuela, a former commander of U.S. Army South, will be the keynote speaker.

Army PFC Daniel Veloz salutes headstones after placing flags at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sunday morning as part of a Memorial Day event.

Many of the volunteers who waited in stop-and-start traffic on Harry Wurzbach Road to enter the cemetery for Sunday's flag-planting ceremony either wear the uniform or once had been in one of the services.

"It just seemed something important to do," said Patten, the petty officer second class.

Some of the volunteers, like retired Master Chief Lorenzo Moncada of San Antonio, also had family connections to the armed services and war. He woke up thinking of his dad, Guillermo Moncada, and his uncle Armando Moncada, both World War II veterans.

Volunteer Jonicia Knight places American flags at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sunday morning as part of a Memorial Day event.

"There's a picture back home that my mom had in the living room and it's my dad and his brother in their Army greens side by side when they joined," said Moncada, 55. "On the family side of this, a little boy from El Paso joins the Navy and the next thing you know you're a brother in arms with people from all around the U.S. and it's just been amazing."

Linda Sanchez, 39, was one of about 150 Bank of America employees from San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Houston who were serving as volunteers for the day. She said the event was a chance "to give thanks to our heroes that fight for anybody."

Standing next to her, Jennifer Morin, 39, of San Antonio noted that she had family connections to the armed forces.

Maria Elena Johnson prays in front of her husband's grave as volunteers place flags in front of headstones at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sunday morning.

"I have people in my family that have been in the military, served in the military, and so just a way to honor them and give back to them and all of their families that contributed as well,' she said.

Honoring the fallen was definitely the thing to do for volunteer Nancy Castillo, a veteran of the Iraq war. She served in Baghdad from 2003-04 and spent eight years in the Army, leaving as a staff sergeant.

Volunteer James Pronath and his daughters Amalia and Lillian place American flags in front of headstones at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sunday morning as part of a Memorial Day event.

Asked what Memorial Day means to her, Castillo became emotional.

"You're asking a really hard question," said Castillo, 43, of San Antonio. "I had a lot of friends that were lost, and a lot of friends that after were lost to PTSD or whatever. So it's a great meaning for me to honor them for their service."

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