“Graveyard Shift” Cleans up Cemetery
Marietta’s American Legion Post 29’s volunteer team known as the Graveyard Shift consists of veterans and family members who maintain the Shiloh Cemetery in Cobb County. Whether mowing, cutting away overgrown bushes, or trimming weeds around the gravestones, the Graveyard Shift is dedicated to its community and the veterans who have served.
Bill Beaudin, the Legion Graveyard Shift coordinator and also a board member of the Cobb County Cemetery Preservation Commission, explained that Post 29 has had the honor of preserving this site for years. “We have had the help of others as well, and have appreciated all of them. We couldn’t have accomplished as much as we have without these additional community crews pitching in.”
The group recently got together for their routine homage to veterans interred there.
SM&P client relations director Victoria Turney, a Marine veteran and Legionnaire, is one of them. “There are many veterans buried there,” she said. “You may not know their story but you can be sure they had one. When you get a chance to support the final resting place of fellow service members, you take on a deeper sense of history.”
“Burial places are important, visible reminders of a community’s history,” said Beaudin. “They are public records of our roots. And their condition speaks to our pride of place. They show that people, generation after generation, continue on in the face of many adversities. If we don’t value our past, why would we fight to ensure our future?”
Legion Post 29’s veterans are committed to supporting their fellow veterans and recognizing their service. Victoria encourages us to remember our veterans and get involved.
To learn more about how to join a Cobb County cemetery cleanup activity in your area, visit their website or search for one in your hometown.