It’s Memorial Day, the day officially committed to mourning U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. However, many of us use this time of year to visit cemeteries and honor all veterans who have died during or after service.
In Brooklin’s largest cemetery, there is a centerpiece consisting of the Town’s specimen Camperdown elm tree with several grave markers huddled around it. When you approach that area from the back so that you also can get a glimpse of the white Baptist Church, you’ll see what appears to be a gap in the grave markers. It has an American flag in it.
When you get closer to the flag, you can see a disk at the base of its flagstaff. It indicates that a U.S. veteran of World War II is buried there. There also is a simple, flat grave marker in the ground that is not visible from a distance. It says only “HARRY”:
Using just a first name on markers in family cemetery plots is not unusual in New England. But, in this case, I have not been able to find out (yet) what family owns that plot. Perhaps I’ll have to check the Town records.
But, maybe it’s better this way; maybe it’s easier to remember a familiar first name. Thank you for your service, Harry; you’re in a beautiful place to rest in peace.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 24 [tree/flag] and 28 [flag/marker], 2022.)