For the Reporter

The Boy Scouts of America in Kent and throughout the Puget Sound region turned out in droves on Memorial Day to honor military heroes.

From the expansive Tahoma National Cemetery to the smaller, often overlooked Saar Pioneer Cemetery, local youth took time Monday to say “thank you.”

“We helped the American Legion Kent Post 15 at the Hillcrest Cemetery,” said Bryan Kriewald, Scoutmaster of Troop 406, chartered by the Meridian-Kent Kiwanis Club. “The Scouts were here before 6 a.m. to hang about 80 flags.”

The prospect of waking up so early, especially on a vacation day, may seem daunting to most youth, but the Scouts saw it as an honor.

“Sure, some of the Scouts were tired but they got into it,” Kriewald said. “The older Scouts who led the flag ceremony also trained our younger Scouts so that next year, they can continue the tradition.”

Meanwhile, Troop 407, chartered by the Kent United Methodist Church, led services each day of the long weekend at 7 a.m. sharp. Kyler Howard, elected by his fellow Scouts as the senior patrol leader, guided a moving flag ceremony and moment of silence.

“There really weren’t many people besides the Scouts at the ceremonies, but everyone could feel how important it was for us to be present and raise and lower the flag,” said Josh Gerstman, a volunteer with Troop 407. “We didn’t do it for an audience, we did it in memory of the men and women who lost their lives during their service to our country.”

The Chief Seattle Council serves 17,500 young people between 7 and 20 years of age across the greater Seattle area through the Boy Scouts of America, the nation’s foremost youth program promoting character development and values-based leadership training.

If you would like more information about the programs available through the BSA in Kent and Renton, please contact Sean Mobley at smobley@seattlebsa.org, or visit www.BeAScout.org.