Soldiers who fought for America’s freedoms likely faced harsher conditions than heavy rain and blustery winds.

That was the thought of David Mainhart, commander of the Brackenridge American Legion Post 226, who braved the weather Saturday to trudge through Prospect Cemetery and help erect more than 950 flags on the graves of veterans buried there.

“You have to pay respect to the fallen,” he said.

Mainhart was among two dozen people who turned out to dress up the 13-acre grounds ahead of Memorial Day.

Volunteers represented soccer and baseball clubs, Scouts and service organizations. Brackenridge Mayor Lindsay Fraser was on hand, as well as members of Eureka Fire-Rescue-EMS in Tarentum.

Harrison resident Paul Rutkowski, an Army veteran, said he marks the event on his calendar every year to honor a long line of family servicemen: his dad was a Navy vet, an uncle fought in Normandy and another uncle was killed at Iwo Jima.

“This is one thing I make sure I do,” he said, adding that he recently helped replace brass markers on many veterans’ plots.

“There were ones that were all bent,” he said. “We want it to look nice.”

The events are organized by cemetery director Cindy Homburg, who said it’s important that the grounds are tidy since they abut busy Freeport Road.

“I get a lot of positive feedback about how beautiful it looks when the flags are up,” she said. “People are awestruck.”

There are more than 13,000 people buried at Prospect Cemetery, with soldiers from every American war.

The first veteran to be buried there was Robert McAyeal from the Civil War. He was the second burial, Homburg said, behind Elizabeth Bridge. She was the daughter of John Harrison, whom the township was named for.

Friends Eric Scott and Aiden Cottone, both of Harrison, volunteered with the Highlands Baseball Softball Association.

Eric, 11, said “it seemed like a nice thing to do.”

Jacqui Confer, a member of the Brackenridge American Legion Auxiliary, said it’s important to remember the meaning of Memorial Day.

“It’s not just about picnics and hot dogs,” she said. “This is the whole point of the weekend.”