Tuesday, May 26, 2015

CBS12/WPEC's Jonathan Beaton: South Florida National Cemetery on Memorial Day

Here is Jonathan Beaton's story on the incredible effort honoring the fallen at the South Florida National Cemetery.
Here is an excerpt from the story:
SUBURBAN LAKE WORTH (CBS12)--For the first time in history the 17,000 plus stones at the South Florida National Cemetery have Old Glory proudly displayed for Memorial Day.
     CBS 12 learned more than 450 volunteers came out, who showing their love of country and it’s veterans during this beautiful, holiday tribute.
     “What better way to pay your respects than to do this, especially for Memorial Day tomorrow,” said Benito Avendano.
     Benito Avendano with Flags for Fallen Vets helped to spur the tribute, rallying local residents, raising $18,000 to ensure a sea of red, white and blue for Memorial Day.
     With a smile on his face, the 11 year Air Force veteran says the holiday weekend is an extra special time of remembering with friends and family.
NBC5/WPTV's Jacqulyn Powell was there also and here is her video of the event at the cemetery. Here is an excerpt from her report:
A new Memorial Day tradition begins in Lake Worth Sunday morning.
     Miniature American flags are being placed on every grave in the South Florida National Cemetery.
     It's one of the few national cemeteries in the country where flags haven't been placed on the graves every year for Memorial Day.
     But this year, a national organization raised enough money to start up the program in south Florida.
Of course this is a great story about Memorial Day here in south Florida. However, the one glaring error is Jacqulyn Powell misreported the location of the cemetery and at least one person commented on the WPTV site and is none to happy about this:
It's time for another class for the folks at NBC5/WPTV on "what is Lake Worth" and "what is NOT Lake Worth". If you have any questions please feel free to email me and I'll answer whatever questions you have. You can also contact Jonathan Beaton and he can help you out also. 
For the curious among you the South Florida National Cemetery is west of the Florida Turnpike