Every November, Clyde Snyder embarks on a mission to honor veterans by setting up hundreds of flags on Wilson Drive from Columbia Avenue to Marietta Avenue. From Tuesday, Nov. 8, to Tuesday, Nov. 15, Snyder will display 1,600 American flags as his way of paying respect to those who have served in the military, as well as to remind people of the meaning of Veterans Day.

"I want people to think about what the flag represents and means. I want to put it in the back of people's minds," said Snyder. Snyder, who is a veteran himself and served with the Army in Vietnam, started the tradition of displaying the flags eight years ago for Veterans Day and sets up another display every Memorial Day.

Snyder is involved with many other projects of similar motivation in and around Lancaster County. In 2010, he founded the Vet 21 Salute Honor Guard, a group whose mission is to provide a rifle salute free of charge for local veterans' burials. The Vet 21 unit is on a rotation with two other guard units at the Pennsylvania Veterans' Memorial at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.

Every three weeks, the Vet 21 Salute Honor Guard stays at the memorial from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and makes arrangements for the proper procedures when a veteran passes away. This includes completing a rifle salute during the service, and a member of the same military branch as the deceased folds an American flag and gives it to his or her next of kin, along with three shell casings. Each shell casing represents a different ideal: duty, honor and country. Snyder estimated that Vet 21 has honored over 7,000 veterans over the last 12 years.

Snyder is also involved with a Christmas tribute to veterans through Wreaths Across America, an organization that coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies at locations across the country during the holiday season. On Saturday, Dec. 17, the tribute will be held adjacent to the Pennsylvania Veterans' Memorial at noon. During the event, over 45,000 wreaths will be placed on the graves at the cemetery, and Snyder will play taps for families. To sponsor a wreath for the event, visit http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.