WRITTEN BY JEN LYNDS
One of the most formative high school field trips Kathryn Fitzpatrick took during her senior year was to the local cemetery. It was a short undertaking, but one she plans to repeat in the future.
For U.S. Air Force MSgt. Larry Harrison, it is a journey he has taken countless times before and one he never plans to cease.
The rural towns of Aroostook are dotted with small, historic cemeteries that contain the graves of veterans. Each year, volunteers from veterans’ organizations, civic groups, scouting organizations, schools, and community service clubs place flags and wreaths in preparation for Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and National Wreaths Across America Day. Despite the generational gap, both Fitzpatrick and Harrison aimed to commemorate those who sacrificed.
This act of reverence was familiar to Harrison, who retired after a 20-year career in the United States Air Force. He spent his last 16 years at the former Loring Air Force Base. Harrison led the Honor Guard, which participated in military funerals, parades, and other ceremonies across northern Maine and New Brunswick.
“We performed more than 100 funerals,” he said. “I knew that when I retired from the military, I would keep honoring veterans the way that I had in the military. I wanted to keep doing that whenever I could.”
Harrison has been a member of the American Legion for 36 years and a scoutmaster for Washburn Boy Scout Troop 177 for 49 years. He has also been a member of the Washburn Rotary Club for 47 years.
“The American Legion post in Washburn used to place flags on veterans’ graves in Washburn, Perham, and Wade, and I was a part of that,” he said. “To me, patriotism is part of who I am. You can never forget the sacrifices of those who came before you. It is so important to get down and place that flag.”
The Rotary Club now maintains the graves of the 40 veterans.
To Harrison, cleaning gravesites and planting the flags in remembrance of a veteran is always an emotional experience.
“Most affecting to me are the veterans who died young. Those who really did not get a chance to live,” he said. “Each year, it hits you differently.”
One grave also affects him personally.
“There is one gentleman that I knew from the military, and he was involved in scouting, too,” he noted. “Each year I place his flag, I put my hand on his headstone, and I make sure to leave a flag there and tell him that I miss him. I thank him for everything that he did.”
Back in Houlton, Fitzpatrick recalled meeting her peers in the Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) class on a cold mid-December day at Evergreen Cemetery. Jessica Swimm is the JMG specialist and Wreaths Across America coordinator for Houlton High School. Wreaths Across America’s mission is to remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach the next generation the value of freedom. The class of 2026 raised money to lay 906 wreaths at veterans’ headstones. The cemetery has 1,000 veterans buried there.
Fitzpatrick said that she had never participated in honoring veterans and found it “really impacting.”
“I have veterans in my family, so it was a chance to honor their service and sacrifice,” she said. “I made sure to get the flag just right before I put the wreath on. I put down more than 80 wreaths. It was a challenging day, because we received more than a foot of snow right before, but it was worth it.”