May 29, 2204 - It is an annual tradition in Broad Ripple; Members of the Broad Ripple American Legion Post #3 and Boy Scout Troop 18 join together to honor our past servicemen. "The post has been decorating our veterans' graves for many years", says George Kerr, past Commander of the post. "It is great to have the young men of the scouts join us. With their help we will decorate 354 graves at Union Chapel and 265 graves at Crown Hill." Scoutmaster for Troop 18 Rob Strickland said they have been working with the Post for about fifteen years.

Each year the project starts with an early breakfast at the Post, located at 6379 North College Avenue. This year there were about forty attendees. After scrambled eggs, sausage, and biscuits and gravy, the flags were counted out and divided. One team went to Crown Hill Cemetery and the other to Union Chapel Cemetery. Lists of veterans and maps of the cemeteries were given to each group.

I followed the group going to Union Chapel Cemetery, located east of Keystone and south of Keystone at the Crossing mall, because it is the resting place for numerous Broad Ripple residents and veterans. Paul Talbott and James Earle's graves were two of the many decorated today. Paul was a long-time resident of Broad Ripple and James was the son of Robert Earl, the first business owner in Broad Ripple.

After finishing at Union Chapel Cemetery, George Kerr, his grandsons and Bob Alloway went on to Ebenezer Cemetery near Keystone Avenue and Fall Creek Parkway to decorate approximately 50 veterans' graves there.