One of the time-honored traditions of Memorial Day is the placement of flags on the graves of Veterans. For decades, veterans themselves have embraced that solemn tribute, placing flags at the gravesites of fellow servicemen, and women, in cemeteries across the nation. With the loss of many older veterans, that honor, and yearly show of respect, has now fallen to a new corps of volunteers. In the past few years, Clinton County American Legion Commander Joe Patnode has begun recruiting groups of volunteers to carry on the tradition, including this year, for the first time, local girl scouts, with troop 4203 from Peru, New York. They joined Civil Air Patrol Cadets, and some students from Seton Catholic placing flags on the graves of veterans at the Old Base Cemetery, and St. Peter’s Cemetery in Plattsburgh.