Local Cemetery Disgraces Deceased Veterans: From the Patch Boards

The heck with the veterans, we have to cut the grass as cheaply as possible.  That is the message put forth by Sunset Memorial Park cemetery located on County Line Road in Feasterville.  My father, two uncles, and many other proud Veterans buried at Sunset Memorial Park had Veteran memorial flag holders placed upon their graves by Veterans Organizations or their surviving loved ones.  These memorial grave-marker plaques recognized that a person was a Veteran and displayed the relevant conflict/era of their service.   At Memorial Day, a local Boy Scout troop, Veterans group, or like organization, would place American flags in the memorial flag holders in remembrance and recognition of our deceased Veterans.  This made for a moving patriotic scene and nice tribute to those who had so honorably served our country.

During a visit to the cemetery at Easter, I noticed that mostly all of the Veteran memorial flag holders were gone.  When I phoned Sunset Memorial Park to inquire about what happened to the Veteran memorial flag holders I was told “that they have received several complaints regarding the flag holders disappearance and they must have been stolen, but if I stop in the cemetery office they would supply me with a replacement flag holder.”  

This caused me to pause since I knew that the cemetery never supplied memorial flag holders in the past, but rather they were supplied by the Veterans Association and paid for by taxpayers.  I also thought it odd that mostly all of the Veteran memorial flag holders would be "stolen" at the same time as the cemetery is quite large in size. 

So, when visiting Sunset Memorial Park this past weekend on Mother’s Day, I stopped in to the cemetery office to pick up the replacement memorial flag holders for my father and two uncles.  Once the gentleman retrieved the flag holders from a back office and began to hand them to me, I noticed that they were used and dirty.  

I once again inquired how such a theft had happened and expressed my disgust over how thoughtless and despicable some people are these days, and that it is sad that we cannot let our dead rest in peace and display appropriate honor to those who have served our county.  While being handed the dirty and obviously used memorial flag holders I began to piece things together and the story coming from the cemetery office staff started to change.

It is now clear that the management/owners of Sunset Memorial Park cemetery, in conjunction and cooperation with the grounds crew, purposefully pulled the Veteran memorial flag holders from all graves to make it easier, and most likely cheaper, to cut the grass. And, if anyone notices and complains, we’ll give them back a damaged and used flag holder that Sunset Memorial Park stole from the graves of our Veterans.  I hope that I am not alone in thinking that this is just wrong and SHAME ON YOU Sunset Memorial Park.  When I expressed my incredulousness as to what I was hearing, I was told, “we have many grave sites that are no longer visited by family members and we don’t HAVE to allow the Veteran memorial flag holders in this cemetery.” 

Oh, so now I understand.   It’s ok to dishonor our Veterans by removing their bravely earned memorial flag holder if there is no longer visitation to their grave and no one notices, and you don’t really care about the Veterans buried in your cemetery.  Now that our Veteran loved ones are dead and gone, and you have already collected the money coming to you, it is ok to change the rules and treat them with disrespect.  I beg to disagree.

I find it inexcusable that a cemetery that is entrusted to care for our dead with dignity and respect would put mowing the grass and minimal cost savings before properly honoring our deceased Veterans.  With Memorial Day on the horizon, I thought others should be made aware of this injustice and wrongful act carried out by Sunset Memorial Park.

Sunset Memorial Park cemetery, you should be ashamed of yourselves…your actions are appalling and speak volumes on what is most important to you.  Properly honoring the dead and our Veterans should be at the top of the list, not behind cost savings and ease of mowing the grass.  The Veterans of the United States of America deserve better!

Respectfully,

Tom Doberstein