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Volunteers Fix Veterans Cemetery

Story Published: Oct 5, 2012 at 6:22 PM EDT

Story Updated: Oct 5, 2012 at 6:22 PM EDT

Vietnam veteran Dutch VanOrman and other local vets are working to bring a cemetery back to life.

It's not just any cemetery; it's the Ogdensburgh Cemetery which marks the final resting place for 200 veterans.
 
"Everybody in this cemetery gave service to this country and they should have a beautiful, respectful place to lay," said VanOrman.                                    
 
The burial ground is the only veterans cemetery in the county that is recognized by both the state and federal government.

Many buried there are veterans of both world wars, the Korean and Vietnam wars and more recently, the Persian Gulf War.
 
Through the years. some of the gravestones have settled deep into the ground making it hard to read the veteran's name or his birth or death date.
 
Other gravestones that once stood straight and tall have long since fallen into disrepair.

Some are tilted or overtaken by weeds and grass.
 
That's why a core group of about a dozen volunteers, most veterans themselves, have been working to restore dignity to the hallowed ground.
 
"I think they deserve the very best," said Jerry Peo of the Ogdensburg Veterans Association.                                            
 
With the help of donations and a grant, 400 new plots have been purchased for veterans wanting to be buried here.

The volunteers say once they get the section restored, they plan to move on to Civil War veterans gravesites.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
, Watertown, NY

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