Pueblo community honors veterans at local cemetery

(PUEBLO, COLORADO) — On Saturday morning, May 4, 2024, more than a hundred volunteers gathered at a cemetery to identify buried veterans so they can be properly honored on Memorial Day.

“When we join the military, we take an oath of service. And part of that commitment to that oath is an often used term, which is ‘No one’s left behind,'” said Damian McCabe the Director of Next Chapter and UCHealth—and a veteran himself.

UCHealth and the next chapter organized more than one hundred people who spent hours walking up and down each row at Roselawn Cemetery searching for veterans ahead of Memorial Day.

“It really doesn’t matter if we’re talking about people in combat or military operations today. The idea of not being left behind is something we cherish because our brothers and sisters always make sure we get home,” said McCabe.

Families, veterans, kids, and others spent hours at the cemetery to map out and identify more than three thousand veterans who are laid to rest there.

“It’s an opportunity to continue our service to ensure that even though these folks have passed on, that no one is left behind, they’re never forgotten,” said McCabe,

Roselawn Cemetery database has information on where people are buried, but it does not identify if they were veterans. The mapping project will help Roselawn update its database and ensure that each service member is honored.

“Honoring the people that sacrificed for all of us,” said Joe Dickerson, a naval veteran and volunteer at the event.

With more than 125 acres of land, it took an army to accomplish the job.

Each person checked the gravesites to identify if it has a specific veteran marker like a medallion or placard. If they found a veteran, the volunteer put a blue flag next to the site, where it was then cataloged and put into the database.

Some of the veterans who participated placed a penny at the sites to signify they came to visit.

“They gave up a lot. And for me to be able to do my part in something maybe some people consider little, but to me it’s not. It’s an honor,” said Dickerson.

There is still a lot of land to cover. On Saturday, May 11th, they will continue the process and tackle the southern half of the cemetery.

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