Montgomery County - PA issued the following announcement on July 22.
The Montgomery County Commissioners condemn the theft of 56 flag holders from the historic Lansdale Cemetery last week. Since the 1920s, the Commissioners have provided free flag holders for veteran’s graves across Montgomery County. These flag holders honor interred veterans by their period of conflict and serve as a signal to the County’s over 60 volunteer veteran organizations who place flags on their graves every Memorial Day.
“My father was a World War II Army veteran who was incredibly proud of his service,” said Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “The removal of these flag holders to be sold for scrap is despicable, and dishonors these veterans who served our country.”
The Commissioners support the Lansdale Police Department and other law enforcement agencies in their investigation. The penalty for removing a flag holder is a minimum of $100 per Pennsylvania state statute.
“Unfortunately, this type of theft and desecration is not uncommon,” said Dennis Miller, Director of the Montgomery County Office of Veterans Affairs. “Miscreants believe they are high dollar brass and try to scrap them only to find out they are aluminum. They also find out from scrap dealers, who we work closely with, that they have committed a crime and they don’t accept these flag holders.”
Replacement or original applications for flag holders can be completed online and arrangements can be made for pickup from the Office of Veterans Affairs located at the Human Services Center, 1430 Dekalb Pike, Norristown, PA 19404.
About the Montgomery County Office of Veterans Affairs
The Office of Veterans Affairs is privileged to serve the men and women and their families who have so ably served our country in times of war and peace. The Office helps the Montgomery County veteran community wade through the intricate and sometimes complicated process of obtaining veteran-related benefits and services. To contact the Office of Veteran’s Affairs to request an appointment, residents should call (610) 213-4022. To learn more visit www.montcopa.org/VeteransAffairs or email teamveterans@montcopa.org.
Original source can be found here.
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