Post 9 in New Hampshire doubled the number of veteran graves it honors with flags after undertaking the 22-month project.
Members of Lester W. Chase American Legion Post 9 in Derry, N.H., and the community undertook a 22-month project to honor and remember the service and sacrifice of local veterans. The post and community members identified the graves of 1,563 veterans in the local Forest Hill Cemetery, nearly doubling the number of those previously known.
“Without the intervention of the post and the community, these servicemembers would have remained lost to history,” said James Ash, Post 9 finance officer. “Now that they are uncovered and visible again, they can be more readily honored with flags on Memorial Day and throughout the year.”
The project got underway in March 2024 after youth from Boy Scouts, Sea Cadets and National Society Children of the American Revolution had difficulty identifying the graves of veterans when placing flags on Memorial Day. Many headstones were sunken, didn’t have a veteran grave marker, or were covered with overgrown vegetation. With that, Post 9 and community members went through town records to help identify veteran graves, as well as spent over 900 hours uncovering, cleaning and documenting them.
Community members were instrumental in supporting Post 9’s efforts thanks to the local media announcing the need for volunteers, as well as support from town councilman Charles Foote, an Army veteran and member of the post. The community involvement was “a heartwarming part for me,” Ash said. “The town of Derry is a very patriotic town and there's a huge level of service involvement and respect for the military community. We had a very large response and that was incredible.”
The undertaking also gave those involved “a lot of pride” and was therapeutic, said Ash. Post member Dave Dyson, who was involved in the cleanup efforts, has a son buried in the cemetery “so he’s very endeared to it. This has been very therapeutical for him.”
The updated cemetery document now lists the 1,563 veteran graves to include their rank, branch of service, birth and death, burial location in the cemetery and military service details if known. The history uncovered includes Civil War soldiers, Medal of Honor recipient, Bronze Star recipient, 54 Purple Heart recipients, three Silver Star recipients, six former prisoners of war, admirals, generals, and soldiers who were either killed in action, died of wounds or in service.
“We had no idea there was as many veteran graves in the cemetery, and we suspect there is more,” Ash said, adding that post members will continue their efforts to identify them. Post 9’s Facebook page also shared about the veteran graves project which resulted in responses from community members about loved ones buried there that have not been recognized with flags in the past.
“We'd go look and say, ‘Here's why. There's no marker on it,’” Ash said. “Now we’re aware, and we will make sure a flag is on it. So this project has developed more camaraderie with the community, more trust from the community, and more involvement from the community.”
- Honor & Remembrance