Stockbridge graduate honors local veterans
by Tom Tucker
Early in the morning of Nov. 11, 2021, Pat Flannery starts a mission he has repeated for 11 years—honoring the gravesites of veterans who served between the Civil War and the present.
Flannery, a 1975 graduate of Stockbridge High School who now resides in South Dakota, recently drove to the area to reconnect with family and friends. While here, he visited Oaklawn Cemetery to honor local veterans and recognize their efforts and sacrifice.
Flannery’s routine is simple, heartfelt, and respectful. He begins by cleaning off the tombstone with a brush and placing a coin on the stone. Then he steps back, salutes, and says the last name of the veteran. He repeats this process for every gravesite marked by an American flag—a process that can take an entire day, regardless of the weather.
How did it all begin? After serving 21 years in the Army, Flannery retired in 2006, only to embark on a second career with the U.S. government in Sioux City, Iowa. After watching a 2010 documentary on honoring fallen soldiers through wreaths and coins, he was inspired to carry out something that has ancient origins.
“It began in the Roman Empire, but recently became a more common way to honor deceased U.S. veterans of the Vietnam War,” he noted. Every year since then, Flannery has visited many cemeteries throughout the country—small and large—on both Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
The symbolism of the coin type varies. Most of the time, Flannery places a penny on the tombstone, a message to family members that someone has paid respect to their loved one’s military service. Placement of other coins is determined by the relationship between the person leaving the coin and the veteran being honored. Traditionally, the coins are collected to help maintain the gravesites of indigent veterans.
So if you are ever in a cemetery to honor a family member who served in the military and see a coin on the tombstone, you can take comfort in knowing that someone—probably a stranger—has recognized the efforts and sacrifices of your loved one.
Pat Flannery salutes while repeating the veteran’s last name.
