Like thousands of other war veterans, Palmer spent his Memorial Day weekend trying to remind people about those soldiers who did not return home from the fight for freedom. For members of Veterans of Foreign Wars, their reminder came in the form of a silk red flower with a yellow and black center. The artificial flowers were assembled by disabled war veterans.
Members accept donations in exchange for the flowers.
All proceeds go into a relief fund designed to help needy veterans, he added. Members of the VFW Post 647 sold flowers on Saturday and Memorial Day at Wal-Mart. Members also placed an estimated 2,000 flags at the graves in the veterans' cemetery on Lee Street on Saturday. One member, Korean War veteran Paul Craig, said he plans his Memorial Day weekend around the veterans' events. Part of the reason is to educate people about true meaning of the event - commemorating the sacrifice of soldiers to protect freedom, and not going to the beach or hitting sales at area stores.