NORFOLK, Va. — On this Memorial Day Weekend, Florence Reese is keeping her focus on the heart of the holiday.
On Sunday, she and other members of the Adam Thoroughgood Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution spent hours at West Point Cemetery in Norfolk, placing 100 flags next to the tombstones of military service members.
"They have given their lives to keep us free to protect our country," said Reese, the chapter's regent.
The group placed the flags ahead of a ceremony Monday to honor Memorial Day at West Point Cemetery.
Reese said the holiday is more than a long weekend.
“It should mean to all of us the day we’re grateful for what these people have done for us.
At West Point Cemetery, Reese noted a wall of division still stands.
“We have a wall here segregating the Black community from the white community," she said. "We don’t do that anymore, thank goodness."
Now, the mentality has changed.
Group members cleaned the cemetery and added a garden during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“And we dedicated this garden here, that’s one-two sides of this monument, to the first Black American who won the Medal of Honor," said Reese.
Ayisha Shimamoto traveled from Japan after her sister died a few weeks ago.
“I wanted to make a spiritual journey after she passed away," said Shimamoto.
Shimamoto came to visit her sister and great-grandparents, who are buried at the cemetery. She said her sister did not serve in the military, but her life’s work is honorable.
“Because I feel my sister made nuclear submarines, and if it wasn’t for her and people that built submarines, there would be no Navy to drive submarines," she said.
Shimamoto said she placed her own American flags next to her loved ones' graves.
The ceremony at the West Point Cemetery starts Monday at 11 a.m. It’s open to the public.
The cemetery is located at 238 Princess Anne Road in Norfolk.