(New Carlisle, IN) - A local football team has found a way to connect with real-life warriors of the past.  Recently, about forty New Prairie High School football players gathered at the cemetery in New Carlisle.  They fanned out and placed flags at the graves of all the veterans.  Some of the graves date back to the Civil War.

 

Head coach Casey McKim says it’s the least his players can do for the community that supports them. "Anytime you get to help the community, serve the community," he said, "it's a great opportunity for our young men to be leaders and to really serve other people.  One of the things is that we get support every week, every game, and for them to come and support their community, I think it's a big thing, and it's really important to learn those lessons."

 

Placing the flags used to be the task of area American Legion members. A couple of years ago, New Prairie coach Bill Gumm suggested it might be a better job for his players.  That was a welcome idea to Larry Brown, Commander of American Legion Post 297 in New Carlisle. "It's great," he said, "It gives them a sense of what this is all about, honoring the veterans that served their community."

 

A Memorial Day parade Monday morning ended in the cemetery, where a ceremony was held amid the many graves decorated by the players.