Boy Scout troops clean up cemetery in honor of Veterans Day

WEST CHESTER, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- At Marshalton United Methodist Church in West Chester, Boy Scout troops 52 and 19 gathered together this past Veterans Day to honor their local heroes.

The scouts started in the cemetery first, collecting old flags from veterans' graves and replaced them with new flags.

Scout Anthony Watson says replacing the flags was an honor.

"We have a big history with this place. We know a lot of people who are resting here in this graveyard," said Watson.

Watson says that this is a part of his Eagle Scout project, and he will also return to clean up the cemetery and restore some of the gravestones.

"I want to be in the military one day, so I was very touched by putting these flags down," he added.

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Following the flag collection was a flag retirement ceremony. During the ceremony, the scout troops respectfully burned old and retired flags retrieved from the MUMC cemetery.

"As we read the names of the veterans that passed away, some of them were their parents, their grandparents, their cousins, their uncles," said scout leader John Bossong.

It was a show of respect and honor that these scouts won't soon forget.

"It's really important to a lot of us to come out here and help these veterans who saved this country," said Watson.