In the past, people with no shame took my father's flag, and my mother's flowers from their grave site. Today we went to replace the flowers and flag, and someone has taken the stone vase (plus the flowers and flag) from the grave. Who would do such a thing? What kind of monster defaces a grave? I am heartbroken and angry at the same time. I missed my parents, and now I feel I have let them down. The cemetery says they will replace it, but today is a holiday, and they don't know when it can be replaced. Mom has no flowers and Dad has no flag. :sigh:

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PC, censorship
with a smile.

That is just wrong! Karma will catch up to the culprits.

It's not right. I'm sorry to hear that happened to you. Tell us something nice about your folks - that's what we should be thinking about on a holiday; not some petty, nasty act. Your folks made a difference in the world and don't deserve such disrespect - you honored them with your visit and now you can turn this nastiness into lemonade and honor them before a wide audience with a few words about a good memory. Let's hear it!

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Now go make God proud...

Red14--I sat on a cemetery board and man did it open my eyes. Antique headstones are a HUGE "art" item being sold in high-end art galleries and antique shops. Same with the stone vases and other stone decorations. Many times they are made of marble or granite and will sell for $250 plus in shops. The actual antique headstones are through the roof. This is a horrible problem nationwide.

Ironwork and bronze cemetery items are stolen by meth-heads and sold to scrap dealers for melting.

John

http://www.kptv.com/story/24391001/trim

PS. One other thing (and you can inquire at the cemetery management office). We removed flags, flowers, and other removable items for mowing and grounds keeping. We tried to have staff replace them, but sometimes that could be an issue. Many cemeteries today only allow the flat stones (so you can mow over them). Your folks obviously are not in such an area because you had a vase. But the grounds keepers may have removed the flowers and flags to weed-eat and mow.

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Possum—The other white meat!

All I can say is AMEN!!!

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Possum—The other white meat!

Sorry to hear about the thefts.

There are many cemeteries that don't allow artificial flowers or items, they prefer all natural flowers. They also only allow items to remain for a week or so, because they interfere with the mowers and gardening.
Perhaps that's the case?

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Memory of Randy Freas-Rimfired

Well:
I guess we're getting to the point where full time cameras and armed patrols will be a requirement at cemetaries in the future. IMO: It's just furthers a trend to having no respect for anything by parts of the population.
Jim

Respect for the dead is an attribute of a civilized society. That these thieves don't have that should tell us a lot about them.

At one time these thieves would be treated accordingly. Flogging, stocks, pillories would all be used. As well as jail in some cases.

Of course we are too sophisticated today for any of those barbaric punishments. Now, if caught the thieves would receive counseling and do "community service" in order to serve penance. They can't be publicly shamed because that would hurt their self esteem and we just can't have that, can we?

Personally, I'd put them in stripes, attach a ball and chain to their ankles and make them do clean up on the side of the road. Their striped uniforms could have "THIEF" and their name printed on them.

Too harsh I know, I'm really way to conservative to live in Massachusetts where the Governor believes that there is no such thing as a bad boy. Even if they rape or murder, they deserve yet another chance.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Is it possible the grounds keepers are removing the items every so often?

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Retired Career Security Guard

I was just about to say this. Maybe it's the care takers. Cemetery policy and all. Things wither away, flowers and pots pile up over time. Very possible that they clean up the ground once a week or once a month

That's why Billy the Kids grave in Ft. Sumner, NM is inside of a cage.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

That and the fact that spomeone stole his gravestone.

I read some where that they don't actually know for sure where in the cemetary he is buried due to a flood in the early 1900s that washed away all of the markers

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Retired Career Security Guard

If it was thieves who did this they are swine at best.

Since you said the cemetery intends to replace the items it seems unlikely it was policy, but it could have been an over-zealous or merely lazy grounds crew.

Either way it never should have happened.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Fort Stanton in New Mexico was a cavalry fort built in 1861. Great history here. It later became a TB hospital around the early 1900's. During WWII, it also became a P.O.W. camp for German sailors off a German cruise ship captured in NY at the start of the war. The majority of the TB patients were merchant marines, most died and were buried at a cemetery near the post. German POW's who died were also buried there but some distance away at the bottom of the hill. Today the place has the remains of many Mescalero Apache vets of Korea, Viet Nam and the desert wars. Local vets who want to be interred there can be. I don't know if it is a National Cemetery in the sense that it is maintained as such. The head stones aren't uniform and the place doesn't look like the typical natl site. During Viet Nam, the tradition of coins was started. If you wanted to pay tribute to a fallen vet you left a penny at his grave, a nickel if you were in boot camp together, a dime if you served in combat together, and a quarter if you were present when he was killed. To make a long story short, the graves are covered in coins. They are collected a couple of times a year and donated to vet organizations. It is a real tribute of respect that out in the middle of nowhere, nobody steals this money. If you ever get the chance, visit Fort Stanton.

Red, I am saddened by the disrespect shown your parents grave site.
Three months ago, a large group of teens held a late night party at a cemetery. They defaced and overturned headstones, urinated on graves and littered the grounds with broken beer bottles.

Yep, all of it was caught on camera. Two were arrested and they dropped dime on the rest.
Red, I know it does not help but it is nice to know that one group did not get away with it.

I'm sure your folks were glad you came to visit.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Dad was a veteran from WWII, and Mom drove a city bus during those days. Both worked for many years to take care of my brother and me. They were married for 50 years as were 3 of Dad's sisters. We weren't wealthy, but never wanted for anything. When Dad learned of his Bone Cancer he took my brother and I to the funeral parlor, picked out his casket, made (and paid for) all the arrangements with his funeral (and my Mom's, which came 10 years later). He said he didn't want us to have to go through with unimportant necessities when we should be taking care of Mom. He also paid for plots for my family and my brother's family, including our sons. My brother and I took care of our parents when they were dying, they did not stay in 'homes'. My parents made us know God, family, and country came first. Dad, and Robert E. Lee, are still my heroes to this day.

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PC, censorship
with a smile.

Sounds like you had a great upbringing and you are fortunate to have had such great parents red14. Thanks for sharing that. I'm sure your parents are seeing things infinitely more beautiful than any earthly flags or flowers right about now!

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Brad

PDQ, I should hope!

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

I thought it was cause he's still got some years to go on his prison sentence

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Forum consigliere

So sorry to hear this, that is criminal. They will get what's coming to them, maybe not in this world though. No excuse for that kind of behavior, the all mighty dollar is not worth that!!

I can only add my hope for these barbarians to be treated as they should be.

When this country wakes up and begins to treat barbarians as the lowlife they are will we begin to return to greatness.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

Karma is one thing, but the correct placement of a 330 Conibear is something else and if it was one of my family members, I might very well be doing something like that or if possible, a well hidden trail cam.

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Vaya con Dios

Absolutely nothing justifies what those slugs did, but remember: your dad and mom are in a better place and your ties to them are all the good memories.

Thanks for taking the time to write this up and share it with us. Hardworking, respectable Americans like that are certain to be proud to have raised such an upright, caring and thoughtful man.

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Now go make God proud...

I'm not a violent guy, I love peace and quiet. Like S&G, I love the sound of silence.

But those people... you should stake out the graveyard and beat the living hell out of them!

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Jorge

If I've learned anything in my sixty two years it's that what goes around, comes around..for sure and for certain they will get theirs . If by chance YOU get the opportunity to see to it.....well , don't let it pass! I feel your pain.

"People with no shame". You mean, like people who make porn movies or molest children or have children out of wedlock to collect welfare. Very little of human perfidy surprises me any more.

My heart goes out to you and your family.

Some 25 years ago I was a small town police chief dealing with systematic looting of the town cemetery, mostly the cast bronze veterans' markers but also the older 19th Century headstones.

Truly a sad commentary on the state of humanity in modern America. Dopers will steal veterans' bronze markers to sell to unscrupulous scrap metal dealers and others will steal antique headstones to sell on-line to others wanting a conversation piece.

Sick people.

Steakout time!!

We have had similar problems at my in-laws' gravesite, I am acquainted with the cemetery crew so I know it's not them. I am considering placing a trail cam in one of the trees if it continues.



Jim in Iowa