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MANVILLE: Scouts give graves due respect

By Mary Ellen Zangara, Special Writer
   On Saturday morning the Manville Boy Scouts of Troop 193 honored and remembered veterans as Memorial Day approaches by placing about 1,700 flags at area cemeteries.
   The Scouts split up and over three hours replaced flags and damaged or missing medallions.
   The flags are given to the Scouts and they help the Veterans of Foreign War Post 2290, which is the Scouts’ sponsor. All the torn or ripped flags will be burned at the American Legion’s annual Flag Day ceremony on June 14.
   Assistant Scout Leader Mike Trond said he was distributing the new flags from his car on the side of the road in the cemetery when another car rolled by and stopped.
   A woman rolled her window down and said, “I just want to say thank you. I know my father would really, really appreciate what you are doing. I thank you so much.”
   Then quietly she rolled up her window and proceeded through, he said.
   On the day, many Scouts said they were thanked.
   Mr. Trond shared another touching story from his experience last year.
   ”Last year during Troop 193’s dispersal, I had the good fortune of being alone in the back of the cemetery just handing out flags,” he said. An elderly gentleman drove up in his vehicle, rolled down his window and beckoned him over.
   The gentlemen told Mr. Trond his name and said that he was the very first Scoutmaster of Troop 193.
   ”Driving around the cemetery that day, he was so thrilled that, so many years later, not only was Troop 193 in existence and active, but all the boys out here in the cemetery replacing flags for Memorial Day weekend.
   ”He was extremely moved and appreciative of the fact that we were doing this,” said Mr. Trond. “You could see that he was up in his years and he had a cane gently perched at the passenger’s seat next to him. It looked like he wanted to get out of the car, but knew he wasn’t going to be able to. He just wanted to stop and say thank you to all the boys who were still a part of 193.”
   Cubmaster and Assistant Boy Scout Leader Bruce Hixson is a proud leader of the troop and a thankful veteran.
   ”We have a reputation here in town where people see me here in my Boy Scout uniform and have asked me ‘are you going to be doing the flags this year?’ I say yes and the people of Manville know they don’t have to,” he said.