Funeral cars and a constant line of volunteers have visited the Riverside National Cemetery in the last eight days to pay respects to the fallen military veterans who are buried there. Currently, there are nearly 150,000 soldiers buried at the southern California cemetery and the volunteers have been arriving to help read the names of each and every one.
This is the first time anything like this has happened at a national cemetery in the United States, according to a spokesperson for the National Cemetery Administration in Washington. It has been called a “roll call program” and it began as an idea put forth by the Riverside cemetery staff personnel several months ago. In fact, they began putting the work out in April for volunteers who wanted to participate and read some of the names.
“So many people responded,” said Gill Gallo, the cemetery’s director. “We were amazed. It’s theirs now. They made it come to life.”
The cemetery has had two lecterns set up and volunteers typically come up two at a time and switch off reading names of buried veterans. It’s a great way to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Are you doing anything special to remember the soldiers who have given their lives? Let us know what you are doing to commemorate this sacred day below.