Members of the Milton community spoke at a local memorial on Nov. 12 to honor veterans and the volunteer effort that places flags and stenciled markers in the Crabapple area.

“My name is Melanie Joyce Alexander,” said Melanie Joyce Alexander, identifying herself as the wife of Robert E. “Bud” Alexander. “They were part of a family. They were loved. They were cherished, and they gave their lives for us.” Alexander described her husband’s 26-year Navy career, including command roles in Vietnam and work building a submarine base telecommunications grid at Exmouth, Australia. She said he trained many troops and worked as a civil engineer, taking pride in his military and engineering work.

Pamela, a Milton resident for about 12 to 13 years, said she was moved the first time she drove through Crabapple and saw the markers and flags honoring veterans. She said a volunteer named Bill offered to let her stencil her father’s name on a marker; she identified him as Edward Harry, who served in the Korean War as an Army encoder and decoder for four years. Pamela added that her grandmother was a gold star mother after three sons served in the armed forces.

Julie Rondam described her husband, Ronnie Rondam, as an Army veteran of more than 30 years who served two tours in Vietnam. “He mostly opened up when he was around his fellow vets,” Rondam said, and she said Ronnie participated in the marker project until he became unable to continue.

Organizers and participants noted the marker project is a volunteer-led effort carried out twice yearly in Crabapple to keep local service members’ names visible to the community. “It’s wonderful that we’re able, as a community, to put these markers out twice a year,” Alexander said, adding that the displays help the public remember the sacrifices of local veterans.

The event consisted of personal remembrances and recognition of the volunteer project; no formal actions or votes were recorded.