Man Plants 128 Flags To Honor Charlestown Residents Killed In World War II
BOSTON (CBS) – A Massachusetts resident has made it his mission to honor every man and woman from Charlestown who was killed during World War II.
In total, Bill Durette placed 128 flags at Charlestown City Square Park.
On Saturday he walked the streets of Charlestown with flags in his backpack, thinking about the men and women who served in World War II but never got to come back home to their families.
"So as I walking I could actually point to many of the houses the guys lived at who were killed in the war," Durette said.
The flags honor the 126 men and two women who died in World War II.
"I think many of the families who lost someone appreciate the remembrance that they're not forgotten," Durette said.
Those families include Judy Burton, who lost her uncle John Noonan on Normandy Beach.
"It's heartwarming. To show honor to all the military people – men and women," she said.
Saturday marked the 75th Anniversary of the end of World War II. As head of the Charlestown Veterans History Project, Durette feels this is his duty and responsibility to keep their memories alive every day.
"With everything going on in the world, don't forget the ones that really made the supreme sacrifice," he said.