Posted on Aug 20, 2015
Remember that patio made of military headstones?
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Homeowner tells TV station he will remove patio made of military headstones
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Tribune News Service) — A man in the Ozarks who built a patio out of what he said were discarded military headstones found in a landfill told a TV station on Tuesday that he will remove it.
Navy veteran Ed Harkreader of Mountain Home, Ark., had posted photographs of the arrangement on Facebook last week. The post triggered scores of outraged comments and was shared thousands of times, but the post has apparently since been removed.
The homeowner, whom the station did not name, said: “I was just making something out of nothing. Ninety percent of them are broken. They were never in a cemetery. They went from the monument to the landfill. There were mistakes. I didn’t know.”
The Springfield, Mo., station also confirmed that a monument company there once made such headstones and that those that were damaged were discarded.
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/homeowner-tells-tv-station-he-will-remove-patio-made-of-military-headstones-1.363526
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Tribune News Service) — A man in the Ozarks who built a patio out of what he said were discarded military headstones found in a landfill told a TV station on Tuesday that he will remove it.
Navy veteran Ed Harkreader of Mountain Home, Ark., had posted photographs of the arrangement on Facebook last week. The post triggered scores of outraged comments and was shared thousands of times, but the post has apparently since been removed.
The homeowner, whom the station did not name, said: “I was just making something out of nothing. Ninety percent of them are broken. They were never in a cemetery. They went from the monument to the landfill. There were mistakes. I didn’t know.”
The Springfield, Mo., station also confirmed that a monument company there once made such headstones and that those that were damaged were discarded.
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/homeowner-tells-tv-station-he-will-remove-patio-made-of-military-headstones-1.363526
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Posted >1 y ago
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CMSgt Mark Schubert and SGT Ben Keen this should never have been able to happen in the first place, there are procedures in place for when a grave marker is incorrect, damages, or worn to the point it is not legible. The company that made them screwed the pooch when they did not dispose of them correctly.
http://www.cem.va.gov/hmm/replacements.asp
http://www.cem.va.gov/hmm/replacements.asp
Replacement Headstones and Markers. - National Cemetery Administration
The VA National Cemetery Administration honors the military service of our Nation's Veterans. We provide a dignified burial and lasting memorial for Veterans and their eligible family members and we maintain our Veterans' cemeteries as national shrines.
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SGT Ben Keen
Great information PO3 Steven Sherrill, thanks for the clarification. The point I was trying to make was right or wrong, I rather see the names of the fallen remembered rather than covered in a large trash dump.
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PO3 Steven Sherrill
SGT Ben Keen - I agree with that statement fully. It is disgraceful that the homeowner could find military headstones at the dump.
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SGT Ben Keen
PO3 Steven Sherrill - Oh so true and honestly, we have seen these stones treated in ways that no one should treat the memory of someone. I'm talking about those cases where the stones were purposely broken or items removed from the grave site. At least in this case, while not the best solution, those standing on or around the patio can see the names of the people (even if misspelled) and reflect on the fact that they are standing there because of those below them.
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I really don't see a big problem with this - not sure what all the fuss is about?
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CMSgt James Nolan
CMSgt Mark Schubert I do not either, but I would be curious as to where they had come from prior to being placed in the landfill. You usually just don't find headstones lying around.
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CMSgt Mark Schubert
I was going the same place as SGT Ben Keen! After I read the article, these were in a dump - it's not like he ripped them from Arlington! And I'd rather see them used at least for others to see and remember the fallen than lost in a dump! Also agree with you CMSgt James Nolan, it seems unusual, but that's what the story says. :-)
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