NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Donnie Doherty, a U.S. Army Veteran, is disappointed that the Newton Cemetery removed American flags from the graves of his family members, who are also veterans.
“I went to my other relatives in the cemetery, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, gone, everything’s gone,” Doherty said.
There are seven graves that he comes to visit. Donnie says he put the flags up for Memorial Day, and by Father’s Day, they were gone.
“This is the time when we should be celebrating. I had special flags ordered for every grave, not able to put them on there,” Doherty said.
The President of Newton Cemetery said there are strict rules for decorations. For flags, the only holidays recognized are Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Veterans Day.
“Flags can be placed two weeks before those holidays and will generally remain in place two weeks after those holidays when our staff picks them up.”
But Doherty said American flags aren’t decorations.
“They called them decorations, but the American flag is not a decoration, it’s a symbol of our freedom,” Doherty said.
Still, the cemetery staffers say they work to respect the flag by removing it when it becomes worn, whether or not it’s been two weeks.
“It’s really about balancing the respect for the flags and the veterans that we have here, and allowing the flags in general.”
Moving forward, Doherty is hoping the cemetery will be more open-minded about flying flags for the Fourth.
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