HERMISTON, Ore.-Avenue of Flags has been a Memorial Day tradition at Hermiston Cemetery for decades, and American Legion Post 37 is working to ensure it continues.
“One of our mottos is Veterans Strengthening America,” said Aaron Wetterling, Commander of American Legion Post 37 in Hermiston. “We defended our country, and now we’re involved in our communities.”
American Legion Post 37 is currently raising money to build a storage shed to house the hundreds of flags displayed every Memorial Day and provide a space to maintain the flags throughout the year.
Avenue of Flags
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post in Hermiston started Avenue of Flags to honor local veterans by placing flags throughout Hermiston Cemetery every Memorial Day over 30 years ago.
Every flag displayed is a burial flag that was draped over a casket at a military funeral and later donated by the family, and each one bears the name and branch of service of the veteran it represents.
When Hermiston’s VFW Post lost its charter about five or six years ago, the job of collecting flags, maintaining and repairing them, putting the name and branch of service on each one, and putting them up each year, largely fell to one veteran.
The veteran worked throughout the year to maintain the flags, spending hundreds of dollars out of his own pocket, in addition to four to six hours cleaning flags and getting poles ready with his own equipment ahead of Memorial Day each year.
The Hermiston football team helps put the flags up in the cemetery, and the event has become a community tradition, although the veteran largely responsible for keeping it going, and who eschews publicity, is now experiencing health issues.
“We didn’t have the idea for Avenue of Flags,” said Mark Wiggins, 1st Vice Commander of American Legion Post 37, an Army veteran who served in Desert Storm. “Once it started, it took off, people started donating flags, and we don’t want it to end.”
The Flags
Every flag displayed is a burial flag that was draped over a casket at a military funeral before being donated by the family and bears the name and branch of service of the veteran it represents.
“We respect the flag, the veterans and their families who donated them,” said Wetterling, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam. “We don’t want to see this go by the wayside.”
Flags donated by private individuals without the names of veterans are also displayed, for a current total of 790 flags, according to Wetterling.
The burial flags that have names and service branches on them are not meant for long-term outdoor use and require constant repair and replacement, and the metal poles the flags are attached to often need repair after being bent out of place.
“The Hermiston wind beats the pudding out of them,” said Wetterling. “When they wear out, we replace them with polyester UVA resistant flags that run about $60, and we only use flags that are made in America.”
The hundreds of flags displayed each Memorial Day are currently stored in two trailers inside a shipping container susceptible to mice, and many flags have been destroyed.
Planning and fundraising
American Legion Post 37 is now raising funds to build a 24-by-40-foot insulated metal building on the cemetery grounds to house the flags.
The metal building would provide secure storage for flags, keeping them safe from the elements and animals, would be electrified and heated, thanks to a donated heat pump, and would provide enough room for volunteers to work on flags and poles year-round.
The American Legion informed the Cemetery District Board of the need for the building about two years ago, and in September 2025, the Hermiston Cemetery District said Post 37 could proceed with the project.
Plans for the building have been drawn up, and Post 37 began its fundraising efforts to construct and maintain the building in earnest about a year ago and has currently raised about $61,000.
“The current estimated construction cost is above $59,000, but we’re hoping to raise a total of $100,000 to cover incidentals, such as concrete, flags, poles, services, and maintenance,” said Wetterling.
Greater Hermiston Community Foundation pledges matching funds
On April 1, The Greater Hermiston Community Foundation (GHCF) announced a new matching campaign to support American Legion Post #37 in its efforts to honor local veterans through the Avenue of Flags program.
To help the American Legion reach its $100,000 goal, GHCF will match the first $20,000 in donations made at americanlegionpost37.org.
“The Avenue of Flags is a meaningful local tribute to the men and women who have served our country,” said GHCF Secretary Cindy Middleton. “We are honored to partner with American Legion Post #37 to help protect and preserve these flags for generations to come.”
How to help
Donations to the Avenue of Flags project may also be made by mailing a check payable to, American Legion Post 37 Hermiston Oregon to, American Legion Post 37 PO Box 323 Hermiston Oregon.
Individuals and organizations may also donate to the “Avenue of Flags Project” account at Banner Bank in Hermiston.
Beyond donations, both Wetterling and Wiggins also encourage the community to come out and experience Avenue of Flags on Memorial Day.
“It shows involvement in our community and support for veterans,” said Wiggins. “It’s really impressive, everyone should go out and experience it.”
