On the Friday preceding this year’s Memorial Day, members of the Hingham High School Veterans Appreciation Club and some other students gathered to help honor deceased service members.

The students, with the help of Ms. O’Connor, placed dozens of flags near the headstones of members of the United Military who have passed away. They were assisted by Hingham Veterans Council member Tom Burbank, an army veteran.

Mr. Burbank, asked the group attending if anyone knew why we celebrate Memorial Day. It is a question far too many Americans cannot answer. “It is a celebration of those who have given their lives for this country and for those who have put their lives on the line for others. It is a reason why our nation is so great,” Burbank told the group.

Several members of the Veterans Appreciation Club took bundles of new American flags and fanned out across the Hingham Center Cemetery. Working in teams, students respectfully removed the flags that were used to decorate the headstones last year and replaced them with new ones. The old flags were given to Mr. Burbank to be properly decommissioned.

Within the hour, students redecorated all of the graves. They returned all of the flags to Mr. Burbank and he graciously thanked the students for their help.

Memorial Day, which began after the Civil War, is a very solemn celebration of our nation’s men and women in uniform. “It is important to remember those who have protected us and this nation,” Mr. Burbank reminded students at the end of the decoration.

There will a be ceremony honoring local veterans on Memorial Day on the corner of Main Street and Middle Street at 11 am.