Graves of 125 veterans getting new headstones
There are 125 veterans who fought for the freedom of others who didn’t have a headstone in the Old Soldiers Ground of the Mansfield Cemetery until now.
Among the veterans are those who served in the Civil War and the Spanish American War, and one who served in the Indian War. There are also veterans who served during World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
Ken Estep, Richland County Veteran Service Commission executive director, and Administrative Assistant Sue Dell made it their goal to make the needed improvements with money from the general fund with the approval of the Richland County Commissioners, to see that the project became reality.
Footers for 23 rows have been completed and they are working on the last 10 rows, for a total of 33 rows this year, Dell said of construction workers from Purdy Construction.
Became aware of problem 11 years ago
Previously, the gravesites were deteriorating.
“We are purchasing granite headstones and placing the flag holders in the concrete right behind the headstone, so they will be out of the way of mowers,” she said Thursday. “We are also going to purchase a flag pole that is secure against theft or vandalism.”
Dell said the condition of the veterans’ area was brought to her attention over 11 years ago when a veteran’s granddaughter from Virginia contacted her about her grandfather being buried in the old soldiers ground with no headstone. Dell said the woman had no information so she helped her get her grandfather’s discharge papers and death certificate, noting that he was a Purple Heart recipient, and helped her get a headstone from the Veterans Administration.
“That’s when I was looking around and there were all these areas with no headstones there so I got a map from the (cemetery) office and my granddaughter and I walked through the whole area and marked that we had 125 with no headstones,” Dell said.
Estep thanked Purdy Construction and the Mansfield Cemetery for helping with the project and the commissioners for providing around $86,000 over the last two years to help cover the costs, including the purchase of headstones from VETSUSA when documentation was not available to get them through the Veterans’ Administration.
Dedication pushed back to Memorial Day 2022
Estep and Dell said they had hoped to dedicate the project on Veterans Day but work was pushed back because of the wet spring weather. Dedication now is set for Memorial Day 2022.
Matt Cassel, who is in charge of cemetery records and genealogy for the Mansfield Cemetery Association, and Pam Bautz, administrator of the cemetery association, said no veterans were moved and research was done to ensure everyone is in their original resting spot.
Bautz said everything is now set meticulously, with three-foot deep foundations, all at the same height, including the the medallions, the stones.
“It’s a lot nicer than we had the opportunity before,” Bautz added.
Estep said two veterans, Larry Polk Sr. and Dean Pace, are volunteering on the project, cleaning the stones and medallions.
Bautz said the two veterans have been very proud to help.
Estep said they have taken over honoring the veterans laid here.
He added that the total cost of the project is not yet available. lwhitmir@gannett.com 419-521-7223
Twitter: @Lwhitmir