One person revived the Memorial Day flags tradition at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Here’s why.
A limited days before Memorial Day Joanne Malmstedt sat at a folding table in a parking lot at Fort Snelling National Cemetery surrounded by trucks and supplies and contributors studying several maps in front of her like the leader of a military campaign In a way she is the leader of a military campaign or one that honors veterans with military-like precision It was on Thursday that Malmstedt the founder and president of Flags for Fort Snelling was mapping out the waves of assistants who come to the national cemetery every May to place U S flags on every grave for Memorial Day This year those contributors will total approximately to people all working to place and later to remove more than flags at the graves over the span of several days For Malmstedt the campaign now in its th year goes beyond a personal gesture of remembrance for the veterans in her own family her father and her great grandfather who are buried here These men and women sacrificed so much says Malmstedt of Blaine I really want to make sure that sacrifice is not forgotten While the nonprofit honors all who served our country expanding the day of remembrance beyond those who died while serving the origin of what we now call Memorial Day was meant to honor those who died in the Civil War Memorial Day Flags for Fort Snelling founder and president Joanne Malmstedt at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May John Autey Pioneer Press Fort Snelling National Cemetery located near the Minneapolis-St Paul Airport International Airport on th Avenue is the only national cemetery in Minnesota a place to honor veterans and their eligible family members under the oversight of the U S Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration Minnesota s national cemetery was formally dedicated almost years ago on July according to the cemetery s website Days before that dedication on July the first veteran was laid to rest there His name is George H Mallon a Medal of Honor recipient who served as a captain in the U S Army during World War I After his courage leading his men in battle in France in he was included in an American general s list of heroes of World War I He returned home later where he was working in Minnesota politics He died at age Mallon s grave is located near a large plaque displaying the Memorial Day Order of situated in a prominent spot near the cemetery s main entrance In Order No John Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic a veterans organization declared that a day in May should be dedicated to decorating the graves of the Civil War fallen Related Articles deadliest days on roads kick off Memorial Day weekend Alternatives to defunding Who goes to help when police aren t needed Defund the Police five years later What did the movement accomplish Apple Valley park s M renovation to feature inclusive playground new pool Memorial Day events in the Twin Cities metro area this weekend This day the order commanded should be designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion and whose bodies now lie in every city village and hamlet churchyard in the land In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit Let us then at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor Later on Decoration Day became known as Memorial Day a federal holiday observed on the last Monday in May an annual day of remembrance according to the National Archives to honor all those who have died in system to the United States during peace and war Flags for Fort Snelling Flags for Fort Snelling volunteer Gabrielle Wojdyla-Just of Minneapolis helps her dad Ryan Just place flags next to headstones at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May Gabrielle s mom is presently stationed overseas with the United States Navy John Autey Pioneer Press It was a decade ago as Memorial Day approached when a phone call to Fort Snelling National Cemetery led Malmstedt to be the change she wished to see in the world I had called the cemetery to ask How do we volunteer to help put flags out ' she recalls My kids were little at the time and I wished to show them This is who Memorial Day is for because they weren t understanding the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day Veterans Day a federal holiday in November honors military veterans However what she learned from that call surprised her The person I talked to reported We don t do that anymore ' she says That didn t stop Malmstedt I went on social media and was like I can t believe the cemetery doesn t do this I m still going out there so my kids can see what it s for if anybody wants to join me ' she recalls And so I had about friends and their kids come and help put out of the tiny stick flags Local news media on site for Memorial Day noticed the group at work They appealed us What are you guys doing ' Malmstedt says We described them we were putting out flags and they questioned Whose idea was this One of my friends pointed to me and they came over and did the interview The response we got from it was the same as mine Nobody knew it wasn t done And then a meager days later I got a call from the director of the cemetery who sought for a meeting I initially thought I was in trouble She wasn t He thanked me immensely for what we did because it brought to light the fact that it wasn t done anymore she says She left the meeting feeling determined to revive the decorating tradition That s when I mentioned I m doing this I m going to make this happen ' she mentioned I laugh looking back because at the time as a single mom of three little kids I had no business taking this on But now this is our -year anniversary this year Looking back it s like Wow We ve been making it happen and I really want to make sure we continue to make it happen The people who work at Fort Snelling National Cemetery appreciate it We all owe a debt of gratitude to Joanne Malmstedt and her association for volunteering to serve a greater good while educating future generations on the importance of organization and sacrifice disclosed Marshall Murphy deputy director of Fort Snelling National Cemetery in a declaration to the Pioneer Press Fort Snelling National Cemetery has a rich history of honoring veterans on Memorial Day including placing flags at every grave Murphy reported Over time the ever-increasing volume of work at the cemetery outpaced the cemetery staff s ability to coordinate assistants to assist with the conveyance placement retrieval repair and storage of the flags each year In Joanne saw an opportunity to serve veterans her region and her country and volunteered to lead this project As the fifth busiest national cemetery coordinating interments per year and managing existing gravesites Fort Snelling National Cemetery is extremely grateful for patronage from supporters like Joanne Malmstedt hopes her story inspires others to do what her nonprofit has done I would love to see other groups other people piggyback off this and be like Hey you know what We re going to start doing this at other cemeteries ' she says It would be nice if all those that are laid to rest are able to be honored and remembered too The society responds Flags for Fort Snelling founder and president Joanne Malmstedt gives instructions to helpers before they place flags next to headstones at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May John Autey Pioneer Press Malmstedt who also works as a mechanical adjuster for Federal Ammunition and owns a cleaning company A Patriots Clean says it requires a group effort to make Flags for Fort Snelling s annual operation come together from labor to donations On Thursday assistants were working in a parking lot at the cemetery water sealing the wooden staffs of the flags to prevent mold advancement They worked hastily dipping flag bundles into buckets of clear wood sealer before placing the flags on tarps to dry in the sun It was volunteer work they disclosed they felt privileged to do We have multiple family members buried here declared volunteer Tina Friedel of Osceola Wis It s just a little way to give something back Nearby Jill Cooper and her partner Barry Gustafson were latest down boxes and doing other tasks needed on this preparation day The Minneapolis couple serves in the core group every year directing and helping other supporters in this regimented operation We don t want to spend our Memorial Day drinking at a picnic Cooper says We want to spend our weekend here doing something to give back I know a lot of these vets did not pass away in war Cooper says but they still served and they deserve all this respect A limited days earlier as part of a fundraising effort Malmstedt spoke to the cadets of St Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights about the nonprofit behind the flags It has grown since that phone call to the cemetery Now Malmstedt s nonprofit has a co-leader MacKenzie Anderson a board of directors and other individuals and companies who help provide storage space T-shirts labor and more We are a small volunteer-based nonprofit she reported the cadets Myself my partner and my other board members all of us are participants We put in hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of unpaid hours toward this mission every single year Now years later it seems like it s a well-oiled machine but it takes a lot of work to get there she noted The first year that we did this as a nonprofit we were able to raise funds to place flags it was overwhelming that year just to see flags However now in our th year we will be close to placing flags Not only do we place those flags Memorial Day weekend but they are able to stay out and be visible and be out for honoring and remembering all week during that Memorial week we also have to go back out and pick up all flags so we can store them and reuse them for years to come With that being declared the cemetery does grow on average of people every single year for interments With those growing costs so do our costs for flags and all of the other operational necessities to be able to make this happen every single year The only way that we make this happen and continue to honor and remember all those laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery is through the generosity of the donations that we receive and the contributors that come and help us As she spoke one young man in particular was impressed her son Related Articles U of M researchers are planting survivor trees in hopes of defeating Dutch elm malady Judicial cookout for the homeless renamed for late founder Jim Randall In th year Rick s Bike Sale surpasses K in donations for Dakota County nonprofits Weather action group schedules first Ward candidate forum for Tuesday CommonBond Communities to outsource layoff from St Paul headquarters Just the sheer will that she has to tackle something like this is inspiring to me says Logan Ogroske an -year-old college scholar who accompanied his mother to St Thomas Academy It gives me inspiration that I can tackle things too Chief Warrant Officer Kim Friede a military leadership instructor at St Thomas Academy is also inspired especially with the visual impact that illustrates the ripple effect of one person s decision to step up If you ve ever passed Fort Snelling National Cemetery during the Memorial Day weekend then you know the emotional experience that is created by a virtual sea of U S flags placed on each and every gravesite Friede reported the cadets It totally takes your breath away The cadets donated more than to the nonprofit Selected signed up to volunteer too Flags for Fort Snelling Helpers with Flags for Fort Snelling placed chosen of the more than flags at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May Joanne Malmstedt of Blaine started the nonprofit in as a way to honor the veterans in her family and teach her children the purpose of Memorial Day John Autey Pioneer Press Flags for Fort Snelling founder and president Joanne Malmstedt at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May John Autey Pioneer Press Flags for Fort Snelling founder and president Joanne Malmstedt at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May Malmstedt of Blaine started the nonprofit in as a way to honor the veterans in her family and teach her children the purpose of Memorial Day John Autey Pioneer Press Flags for Fort Snelling founder and president Joanne Malmstedt gives instructions to assistants before they place flags next to headstones at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May John Autey Pioneer Press Flags for Fort Snelling volunteer Gabrielle Wojdyla-Just of Minneapolis helps her dad Ryan Just place flags next to headstones at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May Gabrielle s mom is at this time stationed overseas with the United States Navy John Autey Pioneer Press This is really grounding and central to experience this declared Flags for Fort Snelling volunteer Ranee Johnson right as she r-l her daughter Makena husband Michael and Kyler place flags next to headstones at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May This was the second year the Rosemount family spent the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend volunteering for Flags for Fort Snelling to honor relatives at the cemetery Joanne Malmstedt of Blaine started the nonprofit in as a way to honor the veterans in her family and teach her children the purpose of Memorial Day John Autey Pioneer Press This is really grounding and major to experience this mentioned Flag for Fort Snelling volunteer Ranee Johnson right as she and her daughter Makena place flags next to headstones at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May This was the second year the Rosemount family spent the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend volunteering for Flags for Fort Snelling to honor relatives at the cemetery Joanne Malmstedt of Blaine started the nonprofit in as a way to honor the veterans in her family and teach her children the purpose of Memorial Day John Autey Pioneer Press Flags for Fort Snelling participants Gail and Rich Thiel of Stockbridge Wis place flags at headstones at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May Joanne Malmstedt of Blaine started the nonprofit in as a way to honor the veterans in her family and teach her children the purpose of Memorial Day John Autey Pioneer Press Contributors with Flags for Fort Snelling helped place close to flags at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May Joanne Malmstedt of Blaine started the nonprofit in as a way to honor the veterans in her family and teach her children the purpose of Memorial Day John Autey Pioneer Press Participants with Flags for Fort Snelling will place close to flags at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May Joanne Malmstedt of Blaine started the nonprofit in as a way to honor the veterans in her family and teach her children the purpose of Memorial Day John Autey Pioneer Press Show Caption of Assistants with Flags for Fort Snelling placed particular of the more than flags at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday May Joanne Malmstedt of Blaine started the nonprofit in as a way to honor the veterans in her family and teach her children the purpose of Memorial Day John Autey Pioneer Press Expand After the Memorial Day observation Flags for Fort Snelling is seeking helpers to collect flags for return to storage on May and potentially continuing the work on June To register donate or learn more visit flagsforfortsnelling com Other volunteering opportunities If you or your organization are interested in volunteering at a VA national cemetery near you visit cem va gov volunteer
