News

Jun 09, 2023

Veterans group honors fallen by gravestone cleaning

Two veterans kneel by gravestones of fallen veterans prior to Memorial Day. By:

Two veterans kneel by gravestones of fallen veterans prior to Memorial Day. By: Margot Rowe

For Memorial Day weekend, local veterans give even more to the community by cleaning gravestones of those buried in the Veteran's Court of Honor in Glen Oaks Memorial Park.

CHICO, Calif. - Volunteers and veterans spent Sunday afternoon cleaning gravestones to honor those who died serving.

This Memorial Day weekend, people from Vets of Northern California came out for another year to wash and scrub gravestones at the Glen Oaks Memorial Park Cemetery.

"So we've been doing this for ten years now, come out here the day before Memorial Day and clean the gravestones for the veterans to show our appreciation," event organizer and Marine veteran William Caput said.

"You have Memorial Day, to celebrating the birthdays of the respected services, we try to take the opportunity to show the public ya know we're an active community out here," Butte County EMS paramedic supervisor and Marine veteran, Shane Lezzeni, said.

Caput and Lezzeni said this is the group's way of remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice and want people to take a minute to remember what this weekend is about.

"This is kind of why we're doing this. A lot of people say 'We get to go barbecue' or whatnot but there's a reason why we have this holiday. Showing support for the people that are no longer here, that died, that fought our wars," said Caput.

For some of the volunteers here, this holiday hits closer to home.

"I'll just say a lot of the guys here lost someone that ya know-Afghanistan or Iraq. So this is kind of therapeutic in a way for them to be out here and be amongst friends," Caput said.

"For me personally as a veteran in the Marine Corps, those of us that serve know people personally and the biggest fear we have is that they would be forgotten so as long as we can take the time to remember that, that their sacrifice is not lost," Lezzeni said. "I have family members out here and sometimes I feel like their memories are fading as I get older and I just want to take every chance I can to honor them."

There were about a dozen volunteers this year and Caput says anyone in the community is welcome to help next year or pay their respects.