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Co-Founder of Flags For Fort Snelling battling cancer

A big effort is underway to make sure flags are placed in honor of every hero laid to rest at the Fort Snelling Cemetery. The 'Flags for Fort Snelling telethon took place Tuesday.

A symbol of sacrifice lives at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. And this Memorial Day weekend symbols of love will be on the line. Volunteers with Flags for Fort Snelling and the community will again attempt to place a flag on every grave. 

A big effort is underway to make sure flags are placed in honor of every hero laid to rest at the Fort Snelling Cemetery. The 'Flags for Fort Snelling telethon took place Tuesday.

The money raised will replace flags damaged or lost from 2018.

That's when for the first time in more than 30 years each headstone had a flag.

 Rocky Borchardt is the co founder of Flags for Fort Snelling. She is hoping the community steps up, again. 

“We lost over 60-thousand flags last year to weather and damage and mishandling. We can't afford to do that every year if this tradition is going to survive,” she said. “We have to replace the flags. the ones we are using now are only going to last a year or two each.”

All the flags were purchased with money donated by Minnesotans.  She is on a mission to make sure the flags are replaced and maintained for years to come.

Life, right now, is a lot like her name.   

“I have been thrown a curve ball with stage four ovarian cancer.  I just went through my first round of treatments,” she said. “I don’t want my illness slowing anything down.”

And that means securing a tradition for years to come. 

Borchardt says a retractable flag is the best replacement option. 

While showing off a prototype of the flag, she smiled. 

She says it was made in Minnesota by veteran. 

 “It solves so many problems for us, more than people realize,” she said. “I would love to see this in every national cemetery.” 

Meanwhile, there a variety of ways to volunteer before, during and after Memorial Day weekend. If you can't give your time   you can donate to the effort through their website.

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