Local Boy Scouts honor fallen soldiers at Fort Bliss National Cemetery

Every year during Memorial Day Weekend, the Boy Scouts of America honors our fallen soldiers in a special gravesite flag placement.

El Paso Scouts helped to decorate nearly 48,000 head stones Saturday morning at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.

“We have people from all over the world who come here, and people throughout our community,” said Nathaniel Jones.

Local scout, Moses Ramirez, has participated in the event for years.

“I’ve done this so many times I don’t even remember how many times I’ve done it,” he said.

The gravesite flag placement is a tradition for the Boy Scouts of America since the 1950s.

A tradition that not only honors our fallen soldiers, but their families as well.

“They are impressed. Just coming down here I got numerous thank yous from the people coming out to place flags on the grave,” said Jones.

He considers the yearly tradition as a way to remind Americans to appreciate our freedom.

“It’s not until you come out and see this and gain that affection for this do I believe can a person really embrace what we have and why we have the freedoms we have,” and he sees it as a way to teach youth the importance of the service and sacrifice of our fallen soldiers.

“Well, for the children, when the tree is young you can bend it. You can shape it to where it needs to go. In other words if our country is going to remain free and strong, we have to teach the young about these things.”