SCOTT — A Scott man is making sure his relative is remembered in a unique way.
Douglas Leger decided to hand paint the American flag on a veteran's tomb. That tomb belongs to his cousin, Whitney Joseph Sonnier, who died in 2000.
The tomb now stands out at Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Scott.
"I came up with the idea of putting the American flag on it because every veteran deserves it," Leger said. "I normally come take care of all the cemetery cleaning for the family that's in here. I just recently took this one over and I realized that he was a veteran in the Korean conflict. I decided to to do something a little different."
He added, "I called the sister to see if I could paint it and she said 'sure,' and when I called back I told her I painted it 3 colors. I guess she was shocked over the phone hearing that. Then she came and checked it out. She called me right back crying saying it was beautiful."
It took Leger a few days to hand paint and complete the flag. He says those days were emotional for him.
"I shed some tears, but it was the good tears," Leger said. "I know what he has done in life to make this country better."
He says the painting is not only a way to honor his cousin, but all veterans.
"Not just him it's everybody," Leger said. "If I had the funds I'd do everyone in the cemetery because these people deserve it. They were out there fighting for our country and it didn't matter to them whether they lived or not because they went out there for a reason. The freedom we have today, without them I don't think we'd have that freedom."
