Discarded flags to aid veteran suicide prevention
BUTLER TWP — More than 200 small American flags that were discarded at the Butler County Memorial Park Mausoleum and Cemetery by employees Monday will serve to raise awareness about veteran suicide.
Paul Simms, who owns the cemetery and was unaware of the flag dump until he saw it on social media, donated the retrieved flags Thursday to Staff Sgt. Brittni Krill at the Butler Army Reserve Center.
The cemetery and reserve center are next-door neighbors on Evans City Road.
Krill, who is the suicide prevention program manager at the reserve center, said the flags will be set up in October on the reserve center's property along Evans City Road to raise awareness about veteran suicide among the thousands of motorists who pass the center.
She explained that her father, Gordon Kennedy, saw a social media post about the flags and called Sam Zurzolo, a Butler Township commissioner and retired Marine Corps sergeant major.
Zurzolo, who is acquainted with Simms and aware of his support of military causes, called Simms and the donation was arranged.
The flags will wait in two huge boxes in the reserve center garage until a platform is built for the display.
Each flag will represent the 20 veteran suicides per day in the United States from all branches of the military.
Zurzolo was all smiles Thursday, safe in the knowledge that the flags will be used.
“I'm so happy the flags are being used properly and will be disposed of properly at a later date,” he said.
Simms, whose late father was a World War II combat veteran, was overjoyed to donate the flags, but shocked at the number of veteran suicides in the nation.
“It's a great cause to prevent veteran suicide,” he said. “Twenty soldiers a day is hard to fathom.”
Simms hopes to donate the flags from the cemetery's veteran graves to the reserve center every September, which is suicide prevention month.
Veterans in crisis can call the Veterans Crisis Line 24 hours per day, seven days per week, at 1-800-273-8255.
Civilians or veterans can call for 24-hour crisis services at 1-800-292-3866.
