I am sharing these pictures I took just before Veteran's Day. While taking pictures for the cover of our Program on Veteran's Day, I did not see the reflection of the Flag in my viewfinder, and was quite surprised when we brought the image up on the computer.
To give a little background on the Cemetery - it is over one hundred years old with veterans interned dating back to the War between the States. In 1999, when I became Commander for the first of three consecutive years of Post 852 of the Temecula-Murrieta Valley, I received a call on the Post phone from a resident that had a loved one interned in the Laurel Cemetery in Murrieta, CA. She was wondering why the Cemetery did not have a flag pole to fly a flag. She said that her husband had fought in WWII and thought there should be a flag pole. I told her I would look into it. It took me a full year to finally track down the right people. They told me that YES - there were about 70 to 80 veterans buried there and NO - they do not have a flag pole. If I wanted to be heard at the next Board Meeting, they would notify me because they only meet every Quarter. I did meet with the Board in the year 2000 and asked, " If there was a reason that there was not a flag pole at the Cemetery?" They responded that they had thought about it, but there was no one that seemed to care. I then responded that there was now and that if money was the issue, I would get our Legion Post to help with some fundraisers. But they said that money was not the issue and did I have any suggestions on the size and style for a flag pole. I said the pole should be at least 20 ft. tall with internal halyards. They said that would be fine and they would put the ball in motion to have the flag pole installed. I then told them that our Legion Post would furnish the flags for the pole as they are needed. On Veterans Day, Nov.11, 2000, the flag pole was dedicated with a full ceremony. Since then every Memorial Day and every Veteran's Day we hold a Memorial Ceremony. Several people that came to the ceremony this Veteran's Day, including the Mayor, were deeply moved by the picture and thought it should be seen by more veterans. Above is the picture of said stone and also a picture of the cemetery entrance.
| 
