(5/3) Walking through local cemeteries you
might see a bronze-like medallion on the
ground in front of the graves. More than 300
were placed on graves in the area to mark the
service that these men and woman gave their
country whether it was in the Revolutionary
War or the War in Iraq.
|
Local veterans groups spent two weekends
placing round markers on the graves of all of
the veterans’ graves in Emmitsburg as a way of
recognizing their service. About 325 markers
were placed next to veterans’ headstones. |
“We placed them on quite a few
Revolutionary and Civil War veteran graves.
Some of the gravestones were so old that you
couldn’t read them,” said Project Coordinator
Bob Dinterman.
Dinterman estimates that about 325 markers
were placed on graves over two weekends in
April. The markers can be found in the
Lutheran cemetery, Emmitsburg Memorial
Cemetery, St. Anthony’s cemetery, the old
Presbyterian cemetery on Route 15, the old and
new St. Joseph’s cemeteries and the old United
Church of Christ cemetery by Shriver’s Meat
Market.
“Every year, we place flags on the
veterans’ graves on Memorial Day and we leave
them up through the 4th of July,” Dinterman
said. “This is our way of distinguishing those
graves easily all year.”
The markers are round and about six inches
in diameter. A star is imprinted on the marker
with the words “U.S. Veteran” on it. At the
top of the marker is a hole where the Memorial
Day flags can be inserted.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6658,
American Legion Post 121, Sons of the American
Legion and Knights of Columbus all
participated in this project. On Memorial Day,
scouts will help the veterans place the flags
in the new markers as we remember our
veterans.
