To some, Memorial Day is a time to welcome the beginning of summer. And while warmer temperatures are certainly something worthy of greeting, Memorial Day has a deeper meaning for many.

Take, for example, the team of volunteers who gathered Wednesday morning. In less than two hours, they raised approximately 200 American flags on the Missouri Veterans Home grounds, which stand as a reminder of those who fought for their country.

Audrain County VFW Post 3772 spearheads the effort and this spring, they made a community appeal asking for more volunteers.

They weren’t disappointed.

By 8 a.m., the Veterans Home drive was already lined with red, white and blue, gently waving in the morning breeze. And the team of 27 was making their way up the hill towards the home.

The effort, known as “Visual of Glory,” got its start in 2008. While community support has been strong, finding manpower has been challenging at times. Organizers have expressed concern over continuation of the program as VFW membership continues to age, with many in their 70s.

“It’s getting harder and harder for the older guys,” says Visual of Glory chairman Gary Songer.

It takes a team of three people to raise a flag pole from start to finish, and that can be challenging on uneven - and in Wednesday’s case - soggy, ground.

Audrain County’s flag display initially drew inspiration from Centralia’s Avenue of Flags, and Audrain continues to partner with Centralia.

“We work closely with them,” says Songer. “They help us quite a bit.”

Support has also come from the American Legion in Laddonia, Missouri Military Academy (MMA) and the Boy Scouts, among others.

Songer has been with the effort since its inception, along with Steve Totten and Dan Carson. The team dug the holes where the flags would later be placed and in general, “got the ball rolling”. Audrain’s flag display differs from Centralia in one key way, Songer points out. Centralia’s flags stand as memorials in the city’s cemetery, honoring deceased servicemen and women.

“We honor anyone who served,” Songer says.

All of the flags are spoken for, he adds. Each flag is sponsored, with a respective commemorative plaque affixed to each pole, recognizing those who served.

“People stop by and say how beautiful they are,” Songer says.

And the erection of the flags is a special time for the veterans in the Veterans Home. In pre-COVID days, the VFW would enlist a veteran from the home to come out and help serve flag duty. Twelve of the flags stand outside of the home’s cafeteria. As those flags are raised, there is usually an audience.

Flags, hung from 20-foot-tall steel poles, are funded by private donations. Flags are erected three times a year: Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day. The Memorial Day edition will stand until Wednesday, June 2, weather permitting.

Gary Songer was in the Navy from 1963 to 1966, and was stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba during his service. Today, the Audrain VFW Post’s membership stands at 95, made up largely of Vietnam-era veterans.

To find out how to give to the effort, contact the Post at 573-582-7222.