Black Tennessee Veteran Heroes Forgotten

[@5roundsrapid263]

Thank you for this video. Our flag doesn’t have a race, or a political party. I’ve known veterans of every race, and respect them just the same. They all fought for the same thing.

[@Leisure3389]

Trae, thanks for posting from Tennessee. You have inspired me to find vet gravestones near Nashville and give them the proper respect they deserve with a good scrubbing. As a veteran myself I look forward to honoring my fellow vets!

[@theyfaceeast]

Way to go James! I drove through Nashville on my way to Chattanooga. I had ancestors at the battles of Nashville, Franklin, and Murfreesboro, so I desperately want to spend a few days there. I just didn't have the time this trip.

[@5roundsrapid263]

There are many forgotten cemeteries near Nashville with all the development. Most are in decent condition, but I’ve seen a couple badly vandalized ones. Many have been moved, which is legal with family and state permission.

[@flp376]

I have been cleaning tombstones of my family since I was a kid but since watching your videos I have been trying to clean up some veterans who rest in the same cemeteries as my family. It is really sad. It isn't hard just takes a little time and it's the least I can do for their sacrifice.

[@northmeadow9138]

Worked on a veteran marker, it's shown on Find-A-Grave at memorial 214114757 but a few markers in the area had what appeared to be damage possibly from equipment being used at too low a setting. After your VA protocol it's the best I could achieve and think I'll leave it as shown. Born in 1900 I found his 1918 high school photo, his registration card and his other family markers there as well. Thanks for all your encouragement!

[@theyfaceeast]

Nice job on Edwin T. Sheffield's granite veteran grave marker. It appears you actually created his Memorial on Findagrave.com. Looking at that cemetery on Findagrave, it looks like there are tens of thousands of graves there still needing Memorials created. Of the 33,000 Memorials uploaded so far, 24% still do not have grave photos, so someone may have uploaded a cemetery database registry without actually walking the cemetery taking photos of headstones. I agree it looks like damage to the grave marker caused by grounds maintenance equipment. Not much you can do with that damage unless it's bad enough to justify replacement by the V.A. Keep up the good work!

[@Miss_Loving]

Thank you so much for creating this wonderful video. 😊❤️😊❤️

[@whereismymind1402]

Theres a tombstone I seen that completely had me speechless in my town, The tombstone is an 1812 war veteran and once I go back there I'm going to add the flag next to his grave. I was like "Holy mother, This guy fought the British in the 2nd war of the declaration of independence. How amazing is that?" I geeked out a lot because I'm huge into history too

[@theyfaceeast]

We need 100% of Americans to be history geeks! I recommend every American builds their own family tree to find out about the people who contributed to their DNA. I call it honoring your DNA. And why wouldn't you want to know you had ten grandfathers who fought in the War of 1812? That's what I discovered. Every person had grandparents alive during the War of 1812. The number of grandparents alive during the War of 1812 for a 50-55 year old person today is 128. Half of those grandparents were grandfathers, so what were your 64 grandfathers doing during the War of 1812? You therefore have 64 chances to find a grandfather who fought in the War of 1812.

[@mbaltz61]

Hello Trea, I live in Nashville. I have been In my local cemetery cleaning veterans graves ever since I watched one of your videos a couple of years ago. I expect to be cleaning my 100th grave in a couple of weeks. It has quickly become a passion of mine. I’m only able to do it on weekends but I do what I can. I may make plans now that I just watched this video and head down to Shelbyville to clean some of these markers. Thanks for all you do for our veterans!

[@allthingselderly]

So sickening to see our veterans headstones in such poor condition.

[@kimleone5496]

That's so sad. To be forgotten. To also have to fight for permission to clean them is even worse.

[@theyfaceeast]

It is truly pitiful that cities and counties push back against the efforts of Volunteers willing to clean veteran headstones in their local cemeteries. Now that we have a protocol issued by the National Cemetery Administration establishing that government-furnished veteran headstones and grave markers remain federal property, I think it's just a matter of time before each cemetery owner becomes aware that it's okay for Volunteers to clean veteran headstones provided they follow the protocol.

[@jrtruscott33]

I want to help you ..I'm in Niagara Falls NY ..Please be tell me how I can get in contact with you..I am a Marine Corps veteran myself.

[@theyfaceeast]

I sent you an email. ByMemorialDay.com and VeteranGraves.com

[@tenngirl4trump]

There should be NO segregated ANYTHING! This is a part of my states history I HATE! But we've come a long way from this! "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that" -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

[@geraldblackburn4883]

Yes Ma'am.

[@allthingselderly]

Hey Trea. Try to do a few live streams.

[@DJShihTzuman]

I'm the great granddaughter of a Canadian double war vet who died from stomach caner after being discharged from service whose grave I can no longer find and the first born granddaughter of a Canadian Vietnam/Korean War Vet who passed from Lung Cancer that doesn't have a marker. The last time I found my great grandfather's grave, I left a Canadian Flag and a loonie on his grave, the next time I went, the dollar was gone and the flag was still there, running joke in the family is great grandpa took the dollar to shut my great grandmother up someone else's grave I found but can't find again....geeze if only they'd stay put and stop partying I'd find them again!

[@janetmertz1740]

Trea,. Please hook up with SideStep Adventures as you go to GA.. I have watched him finding forgotten cemeteries to include veterans markers and you would be agast at the condition of these markers.

[@theyfaceeast]

Hi Janet. I already filmed my Georgia video, but I will try to meet up with SideStep Adventures sometime. I haven't set a date to release my Georgia video, but probably Friday evening.

[@olgagomez5601]

❤️

[@funtimefreddy3272]

😌😌

[@funtimefreddy3272]

The one disliker has no heart..l

[@geraldblackburn4883]

No American Headstone needs to look like this, all should be made of Granite ! or replaced with Granite !

[@theyfaceeast]

Polished granite does resist biological growth, so you make a very good point.

[@allthingselderly]

Families and friends sadly don't care.

[@Brandr1]

I think the reason African American cemeteries seem to be in worse shape is because they are not set up as perpetual care cemeteries. There is a black cemetery near me that is in good shape now but in researching it there were newspaper articles over the years of black local churches trying to get together to clean and keep clean the cemetery....and a lot of veteran headstones in it.

[@theyfaceeast]

In my experience, the vast majority of ALL cemeteries in the United States DO NOT HAVE perpetual care established. There's some caring older person doing their best to keep up the cemetery mowing, but when they're gone, there isn't anyone else willing to do it, and there AIN'T NO MONEY. Cemeteries are now liabilities, because the majority of people have adopted cremation, effectively wiping out the only revenue source to pay for cemetery upkeep: burial plot sales.

[@TheJlnsanchez]

Dont forget your heroes when this time vilain shine

[@janetmertz1740]

Thanks for your replies. First, at your suggestion, I researched the most appropriate CSA flag to fly at markers. Just so happened that night on the national news was some controversial news about the Rebel Flag..... so, I decided to fly the official state flag listed on/of the marker in addition to the current U So official flag was appropriate and politically correct. I hate/dislike the attempts to rewrite history by demolishing...leasons will never be learned.. My eldest brother is a retired history PhD and past History Dean. His expertise is descegretation of the 50-60's with one book published and hobby is the Civil War. ( LOL... don't ask a simple question without a dessertation) My late brother; Hon Judge Neil P Mertz, NM District 7 was a Navy veteran during VietNam ,served on US Ticondagaro. I have two four legged veterans living with me; retired Military Working Dogs... Ages 13 and 11. All thanks to Pres. Clinton's ....Robbie Law. I am blessed with these two presence in my house and of those that have gone before them....all as couch potatoes after their service. Have you run across any Fed memorials for K9's? I have researched my parental side of Mertz to 1801. And James D. Mertz ( my g grandfather) served for the Union and is buried in Rosehill cemetery, Tulsa Ok. There is an uncle buried in Avant, OK apparently in an unmarked grave having died of the Spanish influenza after serving 3 days in boot camp...so the family story goes.. My late father never knew him as dad was born in 1916.. I look forward to your videos! 😄. Do you know of an existing group in San Antonio, TX to help clean markers?

[@theyfaceeast]

I appreciate your family's continued service to our country. I have seen many graves of WWI Soldiers who died of Spanish Flu during training camp, so your family story is probably correct. Check out the Michigan War Dog Memorial at mwdm.org. I visited it last summer and found it to be incredible. I'm not sure what other war dog cemeteries exist, but I doubt they're as good as this one in Michigan.

[@kelvinwragg8441]

fnaf is fake

[@lerissalam2573]

Friday nights at Freddy's?

[@bkurtz8770]

Too much talk just clean it plz