Nice little bit on Memorial Day

[Fritz]

from http://www.strategypage.com/fyeo/how...rget=htwin.htm

May 21, 2003: One Man’s Take. Memorial Day, 2003. Stories In Stone; Even a secular nation such as ours can be said to have sacred places. Great buildings of government are important and in some cases, historical relics in and of themselves. One can tour the Capitol Building in Washington or the White House and come away with a sense of both awe and ownership. These are still, though, working buildings. Men and women go to work in them every day and complain about their jobs, the weather, the price of nearly everything or how their supervisor just doesn’t understand and so forth.

This Memorial Day weekend, I suggest a visit to a truly sacred and, indeed, holy place. Go to your local National Cemetery. Don’t go while the politicians are there or the Boy Scouts are doing their thing. Go early in the morning, when you can have the place to yourself.

At first you notice the uniformity of the place. All the headstones are placed just so. They are aligned in rows and columns that seem to stretch forever, indistinguishable from each other. Now look closer. You’ll see that each stone tells its own story. These are some stories from the National Cemetery I visit from time to time in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Knoxville’s Cemetery was founded to provide a resting place for Union soldiers killed in fighting either in Knoxville itself in 1863 or in small firefights in the surrounding hills or those who died of disease during occupation duties. The Civil War graves are masterpieces of simplicity. Most are engraved “So-and-So U.S. Soldier” and a surprising number are marked USCT or USCHA marking the last resting spot for black troops who garrisoned Knoxville and many other southern towns. USCT stands for “United States Colored Troops” and USCHA means “U. S. Colored Heavy Artillery.” The most poignant Civil War graves are marked “Unknown U.S. Soldier.” The Confederate dead rest in their own cemetery on the east side of town. More wars would follow and the dead from those wars and the many veterans who passed away years later would be brought to this place.

You’ll find markers for Lt. John J. Bernard of the 4th Infantry Regiment and 1st Lt. Henry L. McCorkle of “C” Company, 22nd Infantry. Both were killed on 1 July 1898 during the assault on el Caney. El Caney was a confused and bloody prelude to the better known assaults on San Juan and Kettle Hills later that same day.

Nearby are eleven graves all with the same date: 8 October 1918. That was the day the 117th Infantry, recruited largely from Knox and surrounding counties, launched an assault on German positions near Bellicourt in the Ypres sector. The attack succeeded but at tremendous cost. The 117th Infantry suffered nearly 1100 casualties out of a normal strength of about 6500. It was Knoxville’s bloodiest day of the Great War.

You may also stumble upon other heroes from other wars. Here is the grave of Staff Sgt. Custer Watts who served in “B” Company, 4th Battalion 54th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War. Sergeant Watts’ headstone is engraved with curious abbreviations that are deeply meaningful to those who can decipher them. His inscription notes “SS – BSM & 2 OLC” and below that “PH & 2OLC.” Translated, Sgt Watts was awarded the Silver Star medal for gallantry. He also received the Bronze Star Medal for heroism with two Oak Leaf Clusters indicating subsequent awards of the same medal. The “PH” stands for his Purple Heart Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters for multiple wounds in battle. Even more amazing is that Sgt. Watts survived the war and returned home.

Close by Sgt. Watts, who died in the late 1960’s, is Specialist 4th Class William H Scott. Sp4 Scott served in the “E” Company, 1st Infantry Regt., Americal Division during the Vietnam War. His stone is engraved “BSM & OLC” then “PH.” The “PH” in this case means that Sp4 Scott was killed in action on March 3, 1970.

Near the main entrance, in fact very close to former University of Tennessee head football coach Gen. Robert R. Neyland’s grave, is a flat stone identifying Technical Sergeant Ruben E. Corbett, Staff Sgt. Wylie T Farris, SSgt. Raymond Fuller, 1st Lt. Anthony Radler and 1st Lt. James White, U.S. Army Air Force. All five were killed while on a training mission on 15 July 1944.

Walk a few more yards to the grave of a certain Pvt. Dodson. Pvt. Dodson’s wife is buried with him, which is not unusual. What is unusual are the graves of Pvt. Dodson’s three sons and two daughters. Now look at his wife’s inscription. Pvt. Dodson lost his ENTIRE FAMILY on one brutal day in February 1964. He lived on for several years afterward.

Near the main parking area there is a section set aside for those whose bodies have been donated to science or were otherwise “unrecoverable.” In this group you’ll find Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Samuel J. Cardullo whose last duty station was the nuclear submarine USS Scorpion, which sank in the Atlantic on 5 June 1968 while on routine patrol.

Most of the markers though, are like that of Tec5 Alfred Hughes who fought his Second World War behind the wheel as a member of the 2010 Quartermaster Truck Company. Neither well known, nor recognized for battlefield heroism, he nevertheless answered his county’s call and did his duty. That alone earned him a spot here. It was enough. T5 Hughes and his comrades here and in the other National Cemeteries around this country and those resting overseas are united by the sentiment on the marker of a soldier who was killed in the Great War and now sleeps amongst them.

“Tell them I did my bit.”

-- Pat Gang, Knoxville, TN (© 2003 by Pat Gang All Rights Reserved.)

[scooper]

Not sure of the the closest national cemetary, but I'll be sure to stop by and see my two favorite vets and two of my favorite people, my dad and grandpa, both of whom have passed within the past four years. Both lived long beyond their service, but I'm still proud to give them props, especially on Memorial Day.

[Fritz]

here is the list of nation cemetaries

http://www.house.gov/hyde/natlcem.htm

but there are many more places for vets. For instance, Yorktown (Va) Battlefield has a working cemetary, but it is not maintained as a "National" site. Check your state website for listings.

[Fritz]

more info

http://www.cem.va.gov/nmc.htm

[scooper]

Originally posted by Fritz
here is the list of nation cemetaries

http://www.house.gov/hyde/natlcem.htm

but there are many more places for vets. For instance, Yorktown (Va) Battlefield has a working cemetary, but it is not maintained as a "National" site. Check your state website for listings.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see Arlington or Gettysburg listed here. Are they not national cemetaries?

[Fritz]

Gettysburg is administered by the national park service:

http://www.cem.va.gov/doi.htm

Arlington is a Department of the Army National Cemetery.


the various cemetaries are administered by different agencies. This affects their "status."


-------
http://www.abmc.gov/abmc2.htm for some overseas locations

[scooper]

Thanks for the clarification.