Liam Flynn of Troop 92 Bellwood-Antis with help from his fellow Scouts and Gary Mills of the Bellwood Veterans Home Association in Bellwood has completed his Eagle Scout Project.
Liam decided to repair or replace the flag holders that were broken or missing from the Logan Valley and Blair Memorial Cemeteries.
“It is important that we honor those that gave of themselves,” Liam said.
Some of the holders date back to the Revolutionary War. He started working on his project two years ago, mapping out the cemeteries to see which needed replacement markers and which needed repair work. He has repaired over 160 of the original markers and purchased 354 replacement markers at a cost of $4.34 each.
He raised $1,624.36 over a three year period, by collecting scrap aluminum and redeeming it, as well as a couple of other enterprising endeavors. The Bellwood Veterans Home Association and The Navy League of Altoona and helped out with a major donation and a lot of scrap aluminum, as did several individuals.
After three years, a couple of setbacks and a lot of hard work, Liam has completed his project.
“What I learned doing this is hard to put into words, but when I would see several family members at one grave site and each of them were veterans, it made me think about what it means to serve your country.
“Looking at all of these markers in place at the cemeteries has taught me a lot about the type of community that I live in. It is a community that is familiar with sacrifice and pride,” Liam said.
Liam’s plans for the future include attending the United States Naval Academy and then serving in the US Navy’s Submarine Service.
“As his Scoutmaster, I’m very impressed with the work and the dedication that Liam put into this project,” said Patrick J. Flynn, Scoutmaster Troop 92. “As a Veteran, I’m happy to see that someone has taken the time to honor those who have passed on, but as his Dad, I’m blown away by his effort and the self-learning that was accomplished during this project.”
