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Memorial Day has taken on a special meeting for a Boy Scout from Westchester
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That's right, he's finishing a project to locate and honor veterans buried in a cemetery in Rye
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And as Fox News' Richard G. Kovic shows us, he needs your help to make sure those heroes are never forgotten
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Every Memorial Day, 16-year-old Mark Pellegrini would meet up at Greenwood Union Cemetery in Rye
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with his Boy Scout Troop 2 to take part in the annual flag replacement with the American Legion
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to honor those who fought for our freedom. As I realized, we're still doing the same things over and over
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But every year, Mark and his troop would run out of flags after visiting just a few dozen graves
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So he decided to take on a challenge, destined to locate every veteran buried here
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and give them the recognition they deserve. It's the least we can do. It's the least we can do to put flags and respect them
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and show them, like, you acknowledge we care about you, thank you for your service, even after they passed on
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This was no easy feat for Mark. There were more than 29,000 people buried here at Greenwood Union
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He just had to determine who was a veteran and who wasn't. So he went to City Hall got a list of names and went through each one name by name After nearly a year he finally determined who was buried here as a veteran Turns out more than 2 at Greenwood Union
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His mom says it was a challenge he was certainly up for. He'd look on the maps and he'd locate them and highlight them
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and now our house is full of maps with all these highlighted pictures and stuff
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And so this scout standout, decorated with dozens of merit badges, reached out
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Mark received a grant along with some generous donations of 2,000 miniature flags
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Mark has already begun placing old glory on each veteran's headstone, including his grandfather and his uncle
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He just needs help to cover the entire 50-plus acres of land
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On May 17th, Mark is asking for volunteers to help him meet this goal
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Those who want to give a small token of appreciation to the brave souls who fought for us, who gave us the freedom we have today
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So far, a few dozen have signed up, but more are needed
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I want them to know that they're doing something very impactful, very meaningful
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Mark hopes to do this every year. After all, he says it's the least he can do to say thank you
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No one gets missed. In Rye, Richard Giacobis, Fox 5 News
