When fallen veterans are honored Monday at Cedarwood Cemetery, the grounds will be adorned in red, white and blue from the behind-the-scenes efforts of Boy Scout Troop 146.

This morning, the troop began the task of placing some 600 flags at the foot of veteran graves in the cemetery, making an extra effort to line the entrance that leads to the veterans memorial with smaller flags on each side.

It is a project the troop has been doing for about the past eight years, Assistant Scoutmaster Randy Ferguson said at the cemetery. “The Boy Scouts are about community service in any form or fashion.”

This year, AMVETS Post 320 will lead the Monday service, which begins at 10 a.m. and will focus on the 50-year anniversary of the Vietnam War, Ferguson said.

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Mike Reaves, a Vietnam veteran, will be the featured speaker.

The service will also honor the 13 Halifax and Northampton veterans killed in the conflict, Ferguson said.

For members of the troop, placing the flags was a way to help the community and honor the veterans.

A handful of flags.

“We're doing this for the veterans that died. It's about remembering them,” said Evan Brooks. “It's important for scouts to get more involved and do more of these activities.”

Said scout Steven Moore: “It's just respect. These men had the courage and some gave their lives for our country. This is the least we can do for them.”

Kevin Moore, an assistant scoutmaster with the troop, said this was the fifth or sixth year he has been to the cemetery to place flags. “It's staggering to see how many from here served their country,” he said as he placed a flag at the foot of a grave. “The goal is one day to cover the whole cemetery.”