Grave Concerns

Texas Breaks Ground on New Veterans Cemetery

[caption id="attachment_413" align="alignright" width="276" caption="Patriotic Saddle Display"][/caption] A new state veteran's cemetery is being planned near Corpus Christi, Texas. Groundbreaking on the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery will take place tomorrow. The 54-acre site was donated to the state by Flint Hills Resources. Funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, ...

Ancestors of Texas Slaves Honor Juneteenth with Cemetery Clean Up

Descendants of America's last slaves celebrated Juneteenth by sprucing up their ancestors' graves at a historic black cemetery in Carrollton, Texas. On June 19, 1865, slaves in Texas were the last slaves to be freed at the end of America's Civil War. Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing American ...

Pay Homage to Your Dad on Father’s Day

[caption id="attachment_408" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Dad Gravesite Spray"][/caption] My father died a few years back. He was not a world leader or a star athlete. His name was never bandied about the gossip columns, and it won't be found in future history books. Like most fathers, my dad was just an average ...

Remember Dad with Cemetery Flowers on Father’s Day

[caption id="attachment_405" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Silver Fancy White Heart"][/caption] Mothers may have gotten their special day first, but fathers weren't far behind. Just a year after the first national celebration of Mother's Day, Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington started a movement to recognize fathers with their own special day. Brought up by ...

Consider Family’s Needs When Planning Funeral

They say everyone dies alone, but planning a funeral should be a family affair. Just as you plan and discuss legal, retirement, medical and other major life issues with your family, you should discuss your funeral and burial preferences well before you reach the end of life. In our society, a funeral ...

Taps Will Sound Over U.S. Cemeteries on Memorial Day

[caption id="attachment_400" align="alignright" width="298" caption="Patriotic Star"][/caption] The stirring sound of Taps will be heard at cemeteries across America this weekend, its haunting melody rising above the tombstones. In towns large and small, veterans groups, Boy Scout troops, families and community groups are placing flags and flowers at the graves of America's ...

Civil War Sparked Creation of First National Cemetery

[caption id="attachment_397" align="alignright" width="182" caption="Patriotic Cedar Cross"][/caption] It was the nation's bloodiest, most divisive war that sparked the creation of America's first national cemetery. In July 1862, at the height of the Civil War, Congress initiated the national cemetery system when it passed legislation authorizing President Abraham Lincoln to purchase land ...

Tomb of the Unknowns Honors American Heroes

[caption id="attachment_394" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Memorial Flag Pillow"][/caption] The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier may be America's most well-known grave site. Located near the center of Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknowns is a monolithic marble sarcophagus that holds the remains of unknown American soldiers who fought and died during World ...

Philadelphia Students Discover Historic Civil War Graves

[caption id="attachment_391" align="alignright" width="120" caption="Ground Flag Holder"][/caption] A community service project turned into an unusual history lesson for a group of Philadelphia high school students recently. The students were raking and shoveling debris and trash from the grass in an East Camden neighborhood park when their shovels clinked against rock, but ...

Solar Lights Are Fitting Memorial Day Tribute to Fallen Soldiers

[caption id="attachment_381" align="alignright" width="277" caption="Solar Memorial Flag"][/caption] Our nation has set aside the last Monday in May, May 31 this year, to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have died gallantly in military service to the United States. On Memorial Day our nation will remember and grieve for ...