JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Students from Bradford County Schools brought more than just flags to a local cemetery this Memorial Day — they brought a growing understanding of why the holiday matters.
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Members of the Bradford Junior and Senior High School FFA chapter planted flags at grave sites as part of an annual community service project. Bobby Acevedo, who leads the effort with Bradford County Schools, said the group has made the trip for four consecutive years.
“We’ve been coming out now for about four years to lay flags in commemoration of Memorial Day as part of one of our community service projects that we take on with our students,” Acevedo said.
About 25 students participated in this year’s event. Acevedo said the experience gives students something a classroom simply cannot.
“Sometimes, I don’t think they do right when we come, but by the time they leave here today, they definitely have a different understanding,” he said. “They take civics, it’s very paper pencil sort of living it, but when they come out, they actually get to see and experience what it is for Memorial Day.”
Students reflect on the experience
For many of the students, it was their first time attending the ceremony — and the impact was immediate.
Emerson Brooke, a student at Bradford Middle School, said the experience opened her eyes.
“It’s good, it’s hot, but it’s fun,” Brooke said. “It’s like you get to see all the people and like their religion and stuff and it just, it is cool.”
Danielle, a student at Bradford Middle School, said the day gave her a sense of purpose.
“It’s very important for us to be out here to show that we are so grateful for the soldiers who died for us and who fought for our country,” she said.
She added that Memorial Day carries weight beyond a day off from school.
“It’s not just a holiday, it’s a day to remember the sacrifices that these people made for us,” she said.
Kyndall Patterson, also attending for the first time, said the rows of headstones gave her something to think about.
“I feel like it’s a good experience to like experience who all died for us and like to see everybody religion and to get to kind of like be a part of it kind of,” Patterson said.
Lacey Jones, a Bradford Middle School student, said the ceremony gave her a new perspective — and a reason to come back.
“It’s definitely a fun experience and you can understand all the people that actually died for you and a different perspective of it now,” Jones said. “I definitely will try and plan on coming back out here every year.”
Colby, another Bradford Middle School student attending for the first time, said reading the headstones made history feel real.
“It’s really an experience and it’s really fun to come out here and plant the sticks in the ground and see what their religion is and what their name is and what they serve for,” Griffith said.
“You get to see like their stuff and what they do,” he said. “Like what they serve for and they’re like if they served in the Vietnam War, World War II, World War I and see their dates of birth and when they died and all.”
A veteran’s perspective
The lessons weren’t lost on the adults in attendance, either.
Patty Burnett, a veteran whose father and brothers also served, said she came out of personal respect for those buried at the cemetery.
“I’m a veteran myself. My dad was a veteran. My brothers were veterans and I just respect,” Burnett said.
Burnett took a moment to clarify the distinction between two often-confused patriotic holidays.
“Memorial Day is to honor those that have died for our country,” she said. “The difference is Veterans Day is to honor all veterans, but Memorial Day is more about honoring those that gave their lives for our country.”
Burnett also pointed out a detail that many visitors to the cemetery overlook.
“It’s interesting to see how many husbands and wives, because when you look on the other side, of course, some of them have their spouse, but their spouse is also in the military and buried here with them,” she said.