The Riverside National Cemetery’s Memorials are erected in remembrance of the veterans who have sacrificed for the United States of America. The Memorials call to attention the rich history of our great nation and all those that stepped forward to serve and at times heroically sacrifice so we may live under the blanket of freedom they have provided. The Riverside National Cemetery Memorials are designed to stand the test of time, but they periodically need some maintenance.
The Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee (RNCSC) stands to watch as volunteer Memorial Caretakers of the Riverside National Cemetery. If any memorial runs into disrepair or needs general maintenance, the RNCSC will identify who can repair it, what the cost will be and any impacts to the memorial that may be caused while being repaired.
The RNCSC formally writes a letter to the director of the Riverside National Cemetery asking permission to begin repairs on a memorial. Once approval is given by the director, the RNCSC in coordination with a repair service handles all of the expenditures as a Non-profit organization who provides a variety of services for the Riverside National Cemetery.
Providing funding for the special projects of repairing Riverside National Cemetery’s Memorials is the job of the volunteer Memorial Caretakers, while the Cemetery’s staff provides routine maintenance such as cleaning the memorials on a day to day basis.
Projects that have been undertaken by the RNCSC Memorial Caretakers have included such things as the repair of the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Memorial. The Memorial was falling into disrepair as some of the original material used to create the memorial was deteriorating The Memorial Caretakers of the Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee raised funds to have the memorial repaired and have the materials upgraded.
The RNCSC Memorial Caretakers also updated and repaired the glorious fountains located on the Riverside National Cemetery property, at the suggestion of the director. The Memorial Caretakers gladly undertook the project of repairing and restoring the fountains as they added to the beautification of the Riverside National Cemetery.
“Every project we do is about doing a full turn-keyso the staff (Riverside National Cemetery’s staff) doesn’t have to shoulder as much,” said Paul Atkins, Chairmen of the Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee. “Everything we do is thanks to someone in the community stepping forward to help us take care of these great memorials honoring America’s heroes.”