COEUR d'ALENE - As he walked among the weathered stones and carved monuments of Forest Cemetery, William Taylor, the senior vice commander at Coeur d'Alene VFW Post 889, carried small bundles of red, white and blue.

On the Saturday before Memorial Day, he was participating in a time-honored tradition: the planting of American flags at the gravesites of U.S. military veterans.

Joining Taylor that morning were local Boy Scouts, VFW members and other volunteers, stretching from one end of the cemetery to the other. By day's end, they would plant close to 1,000 flags.

"I love coming out here, because I get to meet other veterans," Taylor said. "It makes me feel good that I'm with (Boy Scout) Troop 3, to know I can pass on my knowledge and patriotism to all the young kids. Seeing the pride and patriotism in their eyes ..."

Taylor's military career spanned 22 years, from Vietnam to Desert Storm.

Born in Panama, at the age of 3 his family immigrated to the U.S. He joined the Navy when he was 18 years old and served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway as an ordinance man.

"I was about one of the youngest Vietnam vets," Taylor said. "I was there when Vietnam fell."

In April 1975, the Midway took part in Operation Frequent Wind, the helicopter evacuation of Saigon. Thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese were airlifted to safety, narrowly escaping the North Vietnamese forces.

To make room for incoming refugees, American sailors aboard the Midway pitched their own helicopters into the sea.

The war was over, but Taylor stayed in the Navy. Despite its dangers and difficulties, he enjoyed the military life and made a career of it.

"I loved it. The people, the camaraderie ..." Taylor said.

Greg Munden of Coeur d'Alene, a Navy, National Guard and Vietnam-era veteran, also placed American flags on Saturday. Pausing to collect his thoughts, he found it hard to describe the emotions he was feeling.

"It's just an honor to fallen veterans who have served our country," Munden said. "It's an honor to come out here and do this."

Not far from where Munden was standing, the young Cub Scouts of Ramsey Elementary's Pack 3 patrolled a quiet section of cemetery. The boys had experienced a VFW flag burning last year, explained den mother Marliam Dannenberg of Coeur d'Alene.

"This year we are honoring those who have served," she added.

Her son, 8-year-old Noah, and fellow scouts Pete McCarthy, Brighton Spencer, Raziel Sepulveda and Jason Towan worked in small teams, neatly placing Old Glory next to veterans' graves.

The boys were quiet and respectful.

"You shouldn't run around, (or) play," said 10-year-old Raziel. "You should act serious, because the people died, so that's a pretty big price."

Scouts and VFW vets visited Riverview cemetery, too. Searching a long line of monuments, Joe Kaczmar of Coeur d'Alene, another Post 889 vet, stopped to plant a flag.

The former Navy SEAL poked a hole in the soft ground and carefully positioned the Stars and Stripes.

"Well, you know the saying, 'We shall never forget,'" Kaczmar said. "You remember your honored dead. The guys who gave their lives for this country."