With flags for the fallen, volunteers give thanks for 'our gift of freedom'

Holding a stack of American flags, Joseph T. Henderson scanned the vast field at Section 67 of Calverton National Cemetery.

A few moments later, Henderson’s wife, Hillary, spotted the gravesite they had come to visit Saturday morning: that of Joseph V. Henderson, the World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient.

Henderson, 63, of Westbury, knelt beside his father’s tombstone to place a flag, one of the thousands commemorating each service member buried at the cemetery. The Memorial Day weekend tradition drew 2,600 Cub and Boy Scouts, 1,100 Girl Scouts and 1,300 more volunteers representing a wide range of organizations, according to organizers.

At a prompt 9:30 a.m. start time, the volunteers spread out across the 1,045-acre site and began the diligent task meant to honor and remember all the fallen service members. Earlier in the morning, volunteers did the same at Long Island National Cemetery in Pinelawn.

“We need to be constantly reminded of our gift of freedom and of those who gave all to make sure future generations continue to know life in a free, Democratic society,” said Frank Bailey, the committee chairman of Boy Scout Troop 433 in Middle Island, who helps coordinate the Calverton event each year.

Bailey, speaking during a brief "thank you" ceremony, encouraged everyone to not only remember the fallen, but to also “carry their love, honor and duty forward for the future generations that will pass.”

At Section 67, Scoutmaster Mitchell Steinberg helped lead the tradition for Boy Scout Troop 70 of Setauket to place flags.

“We always like to tell them how important this is and to continue the tradition,” he said. “This should never be forgotten. The benefits that we all have are because of the people that gave their lives for our country. We need to show respect, and this is what it’s all about.”

Peter Rizzo, 18, an Eagle Scout from Troop 70, said he’s placed flags each year since he was a Cub Scout. He said it’s a responsibility the scouts take “very seriously.”

“As I get older, it definitely becomes more meaningful,” he said. “It’s a great thing to do.”

The troop returns each year to the same section of the cemetery, a privilege, they said, since Section 67 is the gravesite of Lt. Michael P. Murphy, the Navy SEAL raised in Patchogue who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

“It’s truly an honor,” Steinberg said.

A picture of Murphy was affixed to the tombstone above his name Saturday morning along with red, white and blue flowers next to it.

Juan Calderone, of a troop in Lindenhurst, gathered his scouts around Murphy’s tombstone to share with them his story. Calderone said that each year after placing flags, they pick one grave to visit.

Murphy was killed in 2005 in Afghanistan during a mission later portrayed in the movie “Lone Survivor.” Suffering from a leg wound during a firefight, Lt. Murphy crawled up a hill to call for help, an action credited with saving the life of another SEAL.

Behind his grave are three members of the 106th Rescue Wing based out of Westhampton Beach who were killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq in 2018: Master Sgt. Christopher Raguso, Capt. Andreas O’Keeffe and Tech. Sgt. Dashan Briggs.

Seven decades earlier, Henderson said, his father served in A Company, 12th Regiment in the U.S. Army and was part of the third wave at Utah Beach in France on D-Day. His father was wounded on June 1, 1945, when his Jeep hit a mine in Germany, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. His father died in 1990 at age 73.

“He was a lucky one,” Henderson said.

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

---