Newport Rotarians Place American Flags on Veteran's Graves

Newport Rotarians (l-r) Tammy Blizzard,
Maher Saikali, Steve Blizzard, Joe Garner
and Dennis Barber stage the Flags   

Led by Club President-Elect and Town Mayor Dennis Barber, members of Newport Rotary placed flags on veteran graves in Newport area cemeteries on Wednesday, May 23, 2024 ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. In addition to PE Barber, Newport Rotary members Steve Blizzard, Tammy Blizzard, Maher Saikali and Joe Garner participated in the project.   

This is a new project for Newport Rotary. In previous years, Newport Rotarians have been called into service to repair older gravestones in historical areas of town cemeteries, and have occasionally done lawn care in neglected areas, along with the Troop 61 Scouts. In addition to being a part of the world's oldest and most prestigious service organization, Newport Rotary serves as Newport's "Chamber of Commerce" and often fills in where a community need is spotted. Thank you PE Dennis for the donation of the flags! Click here for photos.

Memorial Day, a federal holiday held the last Monday in May, is the nation's foremost annual day to mourn and honor its deceased service men and women. Originally called Decoration Day, it was formalized by a "Memorial Day Order" issued by Grand Army of the Republic Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan in 1868. Veterans from the American Civil War to present are buried in Newport's many cemeteries.