The date has been changed. The flag retrieval at the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery on Bow Lane in Middletown will take place on Saturday, June Thursday June 5, 2025, at 12:00 p.m.

Volunteers will once again gather—not to place flags this time, but to retrieve them with the same care and reverence with which they were installed. One week after over 13,250 American flags were placed beside the headstones of Connecticut’s fallen heroes for Memorial Day, it’s time to respectfully collect them until their next display of honor on Veterans Day.

Though not as ceremonious as the flag installation, the retrieval is no less important. It is an act of preservation, respect, and continuity. These flags represent lives lived in service—each one symbolizing a veteran who served this country with valor. Volunteers are urgently needed to ensure the flags are not only removed with dignity, but properly stored for future use. Wet or damaged flags cannot be reused, which is why this event was weather dependent.

The retrieval process is quiet and solemn, often shared by families, Scout troops, veterans’ organizations, and local community members. For many, it’s a final gesture of thanks before the cemetery transitions from its Memorial Day tribute to summer stillness. It is also an essential part of maintaining the tradition for Veterans Day, when these same flags will be placed once again.

As with the installation, no registration is required—just arrive by 12:00 p.m. ready to lend a hand. The flags will be on site, and volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. From veteran groups to youth organizations to individuals who simply wish to pay their respects, all are encouraged to participate.

This event is more than a task; it is a message—that even after the ceremonies end, we do not forget. These flags, stored carefully between commemorations, are a promise that we will return again and again to say, “You are not forgotten.”

For those who would like to extend their support even further, donations are being accepted for the annual Wreaths Across America campaign, ensuring wreaths will be laid in December at every eligible veteran’s grave in Middletown. Last year, every veteran resting there was honored with a wreath thanks to the generosity of individuals and organizations committed to remembrance.

To donate, visit:
👉 https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/150231