North Carolina Veteran Headstones Neglected Relics

North Carolina veteran headstones covered in disgraceful neglect remind us of America's storied history from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War to Vietnam. Trae Zipperer on a mission to clean every veteran headstone in America by Memorial Day visits historic Philadelphia Presbyterian Church in Mint Hill, NC in the Greater Charlotte area. Founded in 1770 by Trae's ancestors, these hallowed grounds hold the sacred remains of American military warriors from all United States wars. Despite the valor, patriotism, and sacrifice of these valiant dead, the people of America, North Carolina, and Charlotte have forgotten them as clearly evident by the filth allowed to accumulate on white marble monuments provided by tax payers of a once grateful nation.
Trae walks the grounds of three adjoining cemeteries traveling back in time to wars fought by American heroes including Vietnam, Korea, World War II, World War I, Spanish American, Civil War, 1812, and the Revolution.
At the grave of 42-year-old Civil War Confederate Soldier Josiah F. McCall, mortally wounded in the trenches of Petersburg, VA, Trae shares his experiences of learning the history of the United States through names, words, and dates etched in marble shrouded in biological growth. Learn insights into what caused the Civil War, why the Battle of Kings Mountain was the turning point of the American Revolution, and what a National Battlefield Park Ranger had to say about Custer's Last Stand.
Veteran headstones in private and municipal cemeteries all across America in every state and every town stand as reminders of the cost of freedom. The black algae, lichens, dirt, filth, and grime long established upon these once honored stones, marking once sacred ground, serve as a canary in the coal mine showing just how far away we as unappreciative people have distanced ourselves from the Greatest Generation.

[@michellejackson4828]

I have been placing flags, flowers and solar lights at veterans graves in North and South Carolina. I have cleaned my families headstones with D/2 and placed government issued veteran headstones for them as well. I would love to help you all with your project.

[@theyfaceeast]

Hi Michelle. You are officially welcomed as a member of our effort to clean every veteran headstone in America by Memorial Day! We are very much grass roots at this early stage, so just do what you can do in your local area to identify veteran headstones in need of attention and raise awareness about this good cause. I have found the media is supportive of cleaning veteran headstones, so find the dirty ones and inform your local tv news stations as well as radio and newspapers. Once you get started, the project will gather momentum, people will volunteer to help, people will donate money for supplies, and you'll make a difference in your community.

[@michellejackson4828]

@@theyfaceeast thank you so much for allowing me to join your project. If you would like for me to post before and after pictures of the headstonesI will be happy to do that as well for you all thank you again. God bless you all.

[@letsdiscussit1]

Hello Trae. I drove around cemeteries again today. I am disgusted by the number of headstones which have been forgotten about. People pay thousands of dollars for headstones, then they abandon the stone and the deceased.

[@Brandr1]

Eye opening explanations of King's Mountain and then the Civil War!

[@theyfaceeast]

I appreciate you watching and providing feedback. I've studied history quite a bit through the eyes of my ancestors trying to understand why things happened the way they did. People weren't stupid. Isolated? Yes. Stupid? No. So they had reasons as to why they did what they did. I love taking road trips to visit places where I can learn fascinating details.

[@cathygray2986]

I went to the cemetery where my grandparents are buried about 2 years ago. I had not been there in a long time and I was having a hard time finding the grave site. I went into the office to inquire the location. The lady working in the office offered to personally show me the location. It turned out I was only about 3-4 rows away from the location. Pretty good for not going there for about 15 years. We found that the headstone was sunken and one side was about 3 inches deeper than the other. She offered to have the stone raised. She personally called me to tell me when the work was completed. This was done at no charge to me. This is a privately owned cemetery, not a municipally owned one. There are still active burials occurring at this cemetery, so there is still an office with staff that is open daily. So what I am getting at is maybe the cemetery would be willing to reset some of the stones. Because they are federal property, perhaps they would need permission to do this. Just some suggestions, I know there are many factors to consider.

[@letsdiscussit1]

My Dad was a naval vet in Korean War. He died in 2016 and I made sure he had his military honors.

[@theyfaceeast]

I'm looking forward to watching the new movie Devotion.

[@markfloyd2896]

You are a true American to do what you do! Thanks!

[@theyfaceeast]

Now all I need is 1% of America to back me up and clean just one veteran headstone by Memorial Day. One by Veterans Day would be okay too!

[@catherineengle4196]

I am binge watching. I am loving your knowledge of wars. I am so glad you are speaking the truth. I have researched and knew some of what you are talking about but I am also learning more I didn't know. TY and God bless you for all you do.

[@theyfaceeast]

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my videos. I spent last week shooting footage for my next videos. I just uploaded one tonight. I have at least 3 and maybe 5 to edit in the next day or two. I've learned a lot about American history through the eyes of my ancestors. Most were all here prior to the Revolutionary War, at least I haven't found an immigrant who arrived after 1776. I know 100% they were all here and well-established in the South prior to 1860. I recently ordered a headstone for an uncle Killed In Action at Gettysburg. I paid extra to etch his battles fought on the back of his headstone. They dug up at least 3,000 Confederate Soldiers from the Gettysburg Battlefield in 1871, or 8 years after the battle. Only a few had any identification remaining after all those years in shallow graves. Luckily for me, my uncle's last name, misspelled, was somehow still attached to him or his grave, so I found his unmarked grave. There will be a ceremony for him this summer with full military honors. You can bet I'll make a video out of that experience!

[@catherineengle4196]

@@theyfaceeast wow God bless

[@HappierHeadstones]

@@theyfaceeast That is awesome! (Apparently I too am binge watching..lol)

[@patclaus8510]

Whenever I finish cleaning an ancestor’s gravestone I always try to find a veteran’s stone to do if I have any cleaning solution left.

[@lenzi1982]

this reminds me of a school project i had while studying in canada. we had a bunch of veteran photos to choose and research their history, and three kids would later have a speech about it in the school assembly. very touching and humbling experience

[@theyfaceeast]

You nailed it! Cleaning a veteran's headstone creates an opportunity to look into that person's story of service to country so that the Volunteer can reach a better appreciation for the cost of freedom.

[@SR-zc6lk]

God bless the Confederate States of America.

[@theyfaceeast]

Most people don't realize 20% of America's military members who died in service to their country were Confederate Soldiers. That's a giant percentage, and number.

[@funtimefreddy3272]

I want to do this too! Such a respectful man…

[@PeachIceCreamy]

While I’m a democrat of Massachusetts who doesn’t support the confederate states and is far from a Christian, I hold a large amount of respect for what you do for these gravestones. It’s truly incredible, and I’d absolutely say you’re doing “gods” work.

[@tonyamosig5775]

News flash, the confederate states no long exist. That war ended. All that's left is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AMEN!!

[@andrewevans1658]

As a Disabled veteran I thank you for what you do. It saddens me that your videos don't get more views:( I found your channel try to figure out how to properly clean old marble Veteran's stones. I want to clean and restore all the Veterans headstones in my hometown Cemetery. I also want add small bronze plaques to the old stones that are no longer legible.

[@theyfaceeast]

Hello Andrew. I appreciate your service and sacrifice. Thank you for doing your part to honor the veterans of our past with clean headstones, respectably maintained burial sites, and a flag displayed. Thank you for your positive feedback, because my low number of views does make me wonder if my videos are just plain lousy. Keeping our local veteran headstones clean, like they do at our National Cemeteries, seems like something every American would agree needs to be a priority. So you'd think people would be shocked at what I'm exposing, which you'd think would result in a large number of video views and shares, but not yet. God has a plan. It will happen when He's ready. I have faith and will continue to do what He has asked me to do about veteran headstones. In the meantime, you and I, along with several others, will find them, and clean them, one at a time. There is still hope left in America.

[@andrewevans1658]

@@theyfaceeast Thank you for your reply! I'm not worried about the cost of cleaning supplies, I can absorb that cost. What do I do with pre 1900 Veterans stones that are worn so badly that they are illegible? Several are privately purchased stones not government provided stones. You mentioned that there is a beurocratic way to replace them? Rather than replace them I would rather keep the old stone for historical purposes and add a small bronze plaque to the stone with a name and branch of service and war that they fought in. All I have is the Legion Roll Call list used on Memorial day that I can cross reference with Cemetery records for information. Is a small bronze plaque something the government could provide or would that need to be done with private funds?

[@theyfaceeast]

@@andrewevans1658 The Veterans Affairs Department, National Cemetery Administration, provides replacement headstones and grave markers free of charge. Headstones don't last forever, especially the older stones made from softer natural stone, so there does come a time when it is best to replace the old stone. I have heard the proper way to dispose of the old stone is to bury it at the grave just under the ground. I've also seen where people create a ground cover ledger out of concrete and encase the old stone visible in the middle of the new ledger. I like the new concrete ledger alternative, so visitors can still see the old original stone. Stones rarely have any etchings on the back side, so the ledger option works perfectly. I prefer the upright veteran headstones made of granite, because they last much longer as compared to white marble. I am not a fan of ground level grave markers, because they get run over and damaged by mowers, they sink into the ground quickly out of sight, and they grow thick algae because the surface is wet from rain and morning dew. Congressionally Recognized Service Organizations are authorized to order replacement veteran headstones and grave markers. These organizations can be found with a Google search and include VFW, American Legion, AMVETS, and dozens of other organizations you've never heard of. I'm not sure why these organizations authorized by the United States Congress do not take a more active role in caring for our veteran graves, but maybe our efforts will inspire them to step up and take action.

[@letsdiscussit1]

I was in Burlington MA today at a cemetery and there were hundreds of flags waving in the breeze.

[@PeachIceCreamy]

No way, my mother grew up in Burlington in the 70’s. I live in Lowell.

[@Brandr1]

Irony.....next to the Gen. Thomas Sumter Memorial.....that sit's at his gravesite and sits on land that belonged to him, is a street named Tarleton. They were thorns in each other's side.......hated each other. I don't know who thought it was a good ideal to name a street after Tarleton, particular where it is placed.

[@theyfaceeast]

Probably some Loyalist Tory.

[@Brandr1]

@@theyfaceeast lol!

[@robbyconner2785]

I served in the us navy onboard the uss cowpens cg-63.

[@hopewins1629]

Thank you for your service.

[@lornaharris9917]

Love you! seeing the thurth!

[@marisahayes5559]

Thank you for these videos! I really enjoy them. I contacted your website. I would love to help to do this where I live in New York State! I study headstones now for my senior capstone course for my bachelors degree. I have many veteran family members. My boyfriend served as well.

[@theyfaceeast]

Hello Marisa. I appreciate your willingness to help take action against neglected veteran headstones in America. It’s really pretty east to get started, because dirty veteran headstones and grave markers are all over the place at this early stage of our mission to clean every veteran headstone in America by Memorial Day. The first step is simply to visit a few private, church, and municipal cemeteries in your local area to put eyes on the problem. Once you know where they are and what they look like, the next obvious step is to properly clean them. You’ll need permission from the cemetery caretaker, manager, owner, or sexton, so learn how to properly care for veteran headstones before you approach the person in charge of the cemetery. Watch my how-to videos on KZbin and at ByMemorialDay.com. Study the best cleaning practices protocol issued by the National Cemetery and print a copy to share with the person in charge of the cemetery. Sharing the protocol with the cemetery is a key step. The protocol can be found at Cem.VA.gov. In the menu on the left side, click on “Media and Publications” then click on “Fact Sheets and Brochures” then in the Other Info section click on “Cleaning Headstones and Markers.” Or, visit ByMemorialDay.com, click on the About section, and then click on the hotlink to the NCA protocol. It’s really not rocket science, but you need to know the proper cleaning process to avoid doing harm to the natural stone. The person in charge of the cemetery should grant permission to clean the veteran headstones once they see the protocol issued by the National Cemetery Administration and know you are prepared to follow the protocol. Like our Page on Facebook and share some before and after photos!

[@marisahayes5559]

Honor Your DNA thanks!

[@alanpirr7933]

sorry for the misspell. Please pass on that the govt will replace damaged or worn out U.S. vet stones as requested by " descendants ". There is some paperwork you can obtain online to start the process. Of course this doesn't cover installation but you can get a stone or a brass marker. But as everyone who is familiar with the govt patience is required.

[@theyfaceeast]

I just pointed this out to one of my cemetery conservation friends this week. VA Form 40-1330 is the veteran headstone application. It includes detailed instructions including who exactly is able to order a new or replacement veteran headstone or grave marker. If the veteran's service ended prior to 6 APR 1917, anyone can order a new or replacement veteran headstone for that veteran. The VA Form 40-1330 provides easy to follow instructions.

[@georgestokes5116]

would love to help do this but i cant drive so i can get to were i need to go to do this.

[@theyfaceeast]

This is a patriotic team effort, so if you aren't able to physically clean a veteran headstone, consider making a donation at ByMemorialDay.com. We send cleaning supplies to Volunteers who want to clean veteran headstones but can't afford the supplies.

[@theelizabethan1]

Cowpens is in present-day South Carolina.

[@theyfaceeast]

I look forward to one day visiting Cowpens.

[@teressastewart1787]

It's a well taken care of battlefield and park. Visit King's Mountain while you're in the area. They're not very far apart.

[@HappierHeadstones]

I live near Cowpens, but have never visited the battlefield.

[@alanpirr7933]

Most families squabble amongst themselves but after, they come to their senses. God bless these UNITED States. My great great grandfather coming from a slave state fought for the union to keep the US united. He believed in the constitution and not the politicians who had hidden agenda's from both the south and the north. He fought through the Wilderness campaigns, was wounded and survived. His cousins fought for the south and I believe some perishedobtaining

[@theyfaceeast]

I've researched and studied my Southern ancestors and family members at great length. I'm on my way to MA, ME, NH, and CT this week to research my family members who lived in the North during the Civil War. I'm sure some of them served in the Union Army. The fantasy that Northern people were good and Southern people were bad is utter nonsense. The Civil War was complex and each person did what they did based on the personal context in which they lived. U.S. history is fascinating! I don't get born if the first husband of one of my 3rd great grandmothers doesn't get killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness.

[@1969CampEvans]

​@@theyfaceeast The South was and still is punished.....Hollywood never misses a opportunity to slander the South

[@theyfaceeast]

@@1969CampEvans the Civil War is the most studied part of history for good reason. All of my ancestors were in America prior to the Revolutionary War. By 1860, all of my ancestors had migrated into the Southern states, some known to have landed at Maine and Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630's. Some had landed at Jamestown, VA and some at Savannah, GA. All of my grandfathers of military age during the Revolution fought as Patriot Soldiers to establish the United States. To date I have documented 45 grandfathers who were Patriot Soldiers. I just haven't found the rest of them as each bloodline eventually hits dead ends before the 1700's. When you find a grandfather who wore gray during the Civil War, it makes you wonder why your grandfather was one of the bad guys. And then you visit his grave to find him buried in a Primitive Baptist Church cemetery feet facing east. You find his name in the church records as having been a deacon, an elder, and a reverend. And then you wonder, "Why did he join the Confederate Army?" The journey to answer that question will open an entirely different version of events as compared to what is commonly accepted as how things transpired. You'll try to share details about why the South was not the bad guys, but people simply don't want to hear it. Don't waste your breath. Just study the facts, come to your own conclusions, and leave others in their existence of ignorance. The Civil War is fascinating!

[@skylarcupcake3327]

i'm from NC :O

[@flintlockhomestead460]

The cause of the War of the Rebellion, commonly referred to as the American Civil War, was MONEY!! The first southern states that seceeded did so to protect the massive commerce in and wealth created by the cotton trade even though they did not state so. Mississippi came closest with it's several references to "commerce". The north for it's part could not let the south go in peace because at the time northern industries could not have survived economically without the captive southern market.

[@lild8219]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@imahotmess872]

I Live in North care Liner

[@KyleEllis62]

Were you alone

[@theyfaceeast]

Yes

[@christineberry3076]

Orr