I’ve been in restoration of masonry and stone for 33 years. I’m a veteran of the third US infantry “The Old Guard”] at Ft Meyer VA Washington DC. and I’m looking for something to do in retirement! I think I may have just found it.

There are several bands of volunteers here in the UK doing the same thing but as there are graves stretching back 100's of years it is a mammoth task and so they to are always looking for more volunteers for what is a most noble and worthwhile endeavour! I thank you and them for your dedication on behalf of those who cannot!

I am not even American I am an Australian veteran and even I am disappointed at how this brave hero’s grave has been neglected over time we have the same thing happening here in Australia as well unfortunately. Keep up the good work you are doing an amazing thing by helping to honour the memory and sacrifices of men like him who gave their all so we could have a good life.

@theyfaceeast

2 күн бұрын

I receive a lot of Comments from Australia! Thank you for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts. If you don't mind my asking, what is the dominant religious belief there in Australia? The United States was 99% Protestant Christian back in 1776 when the Patriots freed themselves from the king of England. The vast majority were from the British Isles, but England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland have a long history of warfare, some of which was based on religious beliefs. I know Australia was colonized by England similar to North America, so I'm curious to know the role religion played in Australia. Some day I will travel outside the U.S. and Australia will be the top of my list! But, I'll probably travel to France, Belgium, and England first to film the World War cemeteries there.

My sister saw your videos and shared them with me. We are very encouraged by your service to our heroes and the encouragement to do the same in our areas. She (and I when able) has gone through the local cemetery on Memorial day and honored them by putting a stone on their headstone, saying their names and having a silent prayer. Cleaning their headstone is a wonderful way to remember and honor their service to us! Thank you for your instructional videos and product recommendations! ❤️

@theyfaceeast

3 күн бұрын

I appreciate your kind words. I can assure you they hear your prayers. Eventually the word will spread to enough patriotic people to where we have a volunteer assigned to each veteran's grave. It will happen, in God's time.

@bbinger8343

3 күн бұрын

@@theyfaceeast I agree, there are so many good people who want to do what's right. Thank you for leading this charge!

Every time I go back to my hometown I clean the grave marker of my uncle/godfather (I was raised Catholic), who served in WWII and Korea because the cemetery just mows over it. As a veteran myself I just started doing it a couple years back when I saw how covered over it was.

He was only 23 years old when he was killed. God bless Robert Reid and thank you for your ultimate sacrifice.

@theyfaceeast

2 күн бұрын

They're all so young.

We spoke a few hours ago about you putting this up... THANK YOU! I even took the time to look his spot up on Google Maps and I found it! Your work is appreciated, and God Bless you!

After watching, I really went down the rabbit hole searching for all things related to cleaning veteran headstones/markers. I read a lot of articles from the Veteran's Administration (VA) and the National Park Service (NPS). Finally, I had to make myself stop for the time being. I know you have videos with tutorials on cleaning marble, bronze, etc., and your VeteranGraves community vid is an important first step for those who are able to volunteer. Thank you not only for the physical cleaning, but also for the additional efforts to create and upload videos to inform the public. As your videos become more popular...and start showing up in viewer's recommendations listings...the volunteer ranks will start to swell. At least, I hope this happens. I suspect there are more graves in need of your services than I imagine.

An Aussie here. Thankyou. You have inspired me. About to retire so have time on my hands to give back to our veterans. Lest We Forget. 🇦🇺🇺🇲

Bless you as a man who understands the enormous sacrifice of those young men so many years ago. US Army Veteran

Thanks from the Netherlands. Lest we forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

There is a book by Michael Sledge called "Soldier Dead: How We Recover, Identify, Bury, & Honor Our Military Fallen" where the process of recovery and returning of remains is covered in great detail. It's only available in Kindle at this time but there may be hard cover and paperback versions out there. BTW, I know Michael and he did a tremendous amount of research into the subject which included travel to Iraq during the war.

Thank you for doing this. Our veterans should never be forgotten.

@theyfaceeast

2 күн бұрын

Oh you're welcome. It seems crazy to me that I have to be the spokesperson for veteran headstone cleaning, but it needs to be done, so I'll do it.

Thank You Sir. RESPECT.

Thank you 🙏

“ Tell them for your tomorrow’s we gave our today”.

Excellent job Bless you .

EXCELLENT.. OUTSTANDING!!! I'm so inspired and glad there are people like You.. out there doing the right thing.. respect and kindness to and for Our Veterans Alive and Dead.. with all the crap going on in the world and you take time to pay homage and respect to a "Greatest Generation" Fallen Vet.. evidently forgotten by so many.. thank you Sir.. this video and your actions or like a boost of pride.. YOU SIR ARE SIMPLY A GOOD MAN/PERSON.. I will be telling my fellow veterans about this inspiring video.. THANK YOU.. SEMPER FIDELIS/SEMPER FORTIS

You are a prince and a scholar for performing your actions on this veterans graves. G-d bless you.

I’ve been in restoration of masonry and stone for 33 years. I’m a veteran and I’m looking for something to do in retirement! I think I may have just found it.

Thanks for taking care of a brother before way before my time rest in piece brother

Thank you for doing what you do.

Thank you so much for honoring those who died defending our freedoms!

Just remember that you need permission from family or the cemetery to clean headstones! I tried to clean some civil war headstones and could not get permission to do it. Thanks for your work!

Thank you. SFC, U.S. Army (Retired)

Thank you for taking care of these graves, God Bless You

Thank You

Thank You For Your Service. Rest in Peace!

What a fantastic effort in honouring this hero of WW2. May these veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice , never be forgotten.

Thank God there are people still thinking about our fallen hero's. Most don't give a crap these days. Thank you.

First class job.

Thank you sir for your respect of veterans. God bless you and yours.

Respect!

Thank you for what you are doing, Sir. I need to check out military graves in our cemetery, but I’m unable to do that cleaning. Just finished watching Band of Brothers last night.

That’s cool mission

Amen, Brother, Amen 🇺🇸

Beautiful Job thank you and Thank you sir for your ultimate sacrifice to our country

most admirable ,bless you ,even the speaking of his name bring his memory to the world again

Very noble!!

I regularly make make a trip out to the grave yard to visit my Dad's resting place. His VA marker is made of granite so it easily cleans up. The other reason I make regular trips is due to the marker sinking in the dirt. When I notice that is sinking I call the office and they'll pull the marker add fill. reset the marker and level it out. If this isn't done regularly the maker will sink, get overgrown with grass and hard to find. Never forget family members that are buried nearby. Give them a visit and clean their markers. Show you care.

My friend Rexford Hanson was with the 3rd Armored Division ( ?) and was severely wounded in Belgium in WW2 He was in the Mayo clinic for over a year. He passed in 1988, still bearing the severe scaring from a German 88mm artillery round that wounded him, and killed all others in his half track vehicle.

@badgerattoadhall

22 сағат бұрын

Rexford Hanson; he is not on findagrave.

Also needs a cement "footing" to prevent it sinking into ground.

My God blees you!

The parents of the greatest generation have been gone a long time. Those that would have cared for that grave..😢

@XCarfaxAbbeyX

Күн бұрын

Too young for his own children...💗

If you listen to "Babe" Heffron when he is telling his stories you will hear him mention James "Jim" Campbell who took a patrol for Heffron and was killed in action in October 1944. He is buried in a small-town cemetery in St. Francisville Illinois.

Wow Trey. 1st video I have seen in a while. Where did u take a vacation to??

@theyfaceeast

2 күн бұрын

Lost our home and possessions in the storm surge flooding from Hurricane Ian on 28 SEP 2022. Recovering from a natural disaster takes over your life for at least 18 months. It's been 21 months. Trying to find the new normal. I released a video last week and the one yesterday. Both were shot 9 months ago!

@lindagardenlady

2 күн бұрын

​@theyfaceeast sorry to hear of your loss! Hope all has gone well and your family is ok❤❤❤

@jonathandavis1525

Күн бұрын

@@theyfaceeast sorry to hear about the loss

Sad and shameful 😢

@theyfaceeast

2 күн бұрын

It is sad and shameful, but I can tell you from experience there are a great number of people who have Volunteered to clean a veteran's headstone in response to my videos. Patriotic people just aren't aware of what's happened to our veterans' grave sites in our local cemeteries. For example, I didn't know until about 5.5 years ago. Based on my observations, the cause of this problem is our adoption of cremation in lieu of burials. People 60 years ago visited cemeteries on a somewhat regular basis for funerals, so there were eyes on the condition of the grounds and grave markers. But people rarely go into cemeteries anymore, so out of sight out of mind. I am hopeful enough people will watch my videos and take up this cause in their local cemeteries.

@maryannallen9885

2 күн бұрын

@@theyfaceeast Well thank you for the work you do for our deceased veterans.❤️ Your video has inspired me to take a closer look at our local cemeteries. Again, thank you. 🙏❤️

sir his grave would be in front of his plaque would it not ?

@stephenwalsh1332triumph

4 сағат бұрын

Good point 🤔

@ATTTTT.T

3 сағат бұрын

More than likely would be buried in or around Bastogne and that is his memorial plaque as he is from that town . any how it’s a good thing you are doing . LEST WE FORGET

how is it he's buried in the US? I thought all those guys were interred in the country where they fell.

@thomasdragosr.841

2 күн бұрын

Loved ones could request their dead to be returned to the US.

@theyfaceeast

2 күн бұрын

Out of the thousands of Comments I've received on the topic of veteran headstone cleaning, you are the first person to share such an assumption that ALL members of the military who die in service while overseas are buried OVERSEAS where they fell. You bring up an assumption I've never thought of. But now that you bring it up, I bet you are not alone in your assumption, because it is a logical conclusion when what we see on every war movie is a huge cemetery with rows of white crosses, like Normandy for example. THANK YOU!!! I did theorize that a lot of people assume ALL veterans are buried in National Cemeteries, which could be why not many people think about the veterans buried in our local cemeteries. But your Comment brings my theory to a new level. Why would someone think to take care of a local veteran hero killed in action when that hero is OBVIOUSLY buried overseas where they fell. I don't know the stats off the top of my head, but I have seen it somewhere. I recall the figure being somewhere in the range of 180,000 service members brought back to the United States for reinterment after originally being buried in cemeteries near where they fell. So my best guess is 60% of those who died in service are buried overseas and 40% were brought back to U.S. soil. Again, great insightful Comment!

@theyfaceeast

2 күн бұрын

Thomasdragosr.841 is correct. Each next of kin was given the option of leaving their loved one overseas, or bringing them home for re-burial. I have no idea what I would do if asked to make that choice. On one hand, I would want to bring them home, while on the other hand they are with their brothers in arms overseas.

@sblack48

2 күн бұрын

@@theyfaceeast In fact I thought it was just the case in WW2 because I know that pretty much all of the Vietnam and Korea KIAs were brought home. I figured that in WW2 it was just to difficult logistically.

@theyfaceeast

2 күн бұрын

@@sblack48 They certainly did go to a lot of trouble to bring them home. The trouble they went to is another reason why it is important for us to not allow them to remain in a condition of neglect. If we simply stop and think about why they went to so much trouble, we might grasp the gravity of what it means to lay the body of a loved one upon the alter of freedom.

Thank you 🙏

Respect!