Burial Flag

My Mother-in-Law, Viola Andersen Robertson, was given a burial flag when my Father-in-Law, Walter Stanley Robertson who served in the US Navy was interred at Tahoma National Cemetery in 1998.


She passed away a year-and-a-half later in 2000 and is interred with him.


The burial flag has since been in the possession of my Brother-in-Law who served during Vietnam.  Last month, their home was destroyed by the Taylor Bridge fire in Cle Elum, WA..  We are so very grateful my Brother-and-Sister-in-Law are safe; my Brother-in-Law was told to evacuate only fifteen minutes before their home went up.  It gives me chills.  Almost all their worldly possession are gone.  But when my Sister-in-Law blew out her birthday candle earlier this week, she said, "I have nothing to wish for because I still have everything that really matters to me."

A couple of weeks ago I thought I would contact someone from VFW Post 1373 Douglas A Munro Post in Cle Elum. Burial Flags are not replaced by the Veteran's Administration but their website said that often local VFW posts can do that.  At the post's last meeting, they agreed to replace Walt's burial flag.  The contact person seemed honored and excited to be able to do this for our family.  This flag was used in another veteran's funeral but for some reason they ended up with two so when I contacted him, he felt it was meant to be for us to have it.  We drove to Cle Elum today to pick up the new burial flag.  It's not the same thing as the original given to my Mother-in-Law, but we are thrilled and humbled to have a flag that was given to our family in honor of Walt's service and life.