LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A group gathered on Sunday in remembrance of the near 1,600 World War II soldiers buried in group graves at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.
"You tend to adopt the graves and it seems like you know these men. So every year you come and you present your flowers, you say their names out loud so they would not be forgotten," said Mike King with the Gov. Isaac Shelby Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. "So, it means a whole lot to to those of us that come here."
The sons and daughters of the American Revolution and the The Rotary Club of Louisville Suburban have hosted "Flowers of Remembrance" ceremonies for about four years.
"The passage of time has taken its toll on family members. I feel a responsibility and also respect for the soldiers, that I just don't want them to be forgotten," said Jo Shipley, an organizer of Flowers of Remembrance.
Flowers of Remembrance at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, 2021
Zachary Taylor is one of three national cemeteries chosen to hold group graves of soldiers from World War II. They hold the recovered remains of those who died overseas in mass casualty events, making individual remains unidentifiable.
Because of the time that has passed, and the families of these soldiers living across the country, these ceremonies are meant to ensure the soldiers aren't forgotten. Part of the ceremony involves participants laying flowers at the group graves.
Flowers of Remembrance at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, 2021
So far, about half of the more than 300 group graves have been "adopted," meaning someone has offered to come annually to lay flowers and take a moment to remember the soldiers within one of the group graves.
Organizers would like to see all graves claimed in the cemetery.
"We'd also like to come up with a way to ensure that the program is ongoing and the program doesn't die out as older folks such as myself move on in life," said Shipley. "We hope to recruit young people. Perhaps ROTC students or Boy and Girl Scouts, something like that. We're certainly looking for the youth element."
Flowers of Remembrance at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, 2021
"As we pass on, as we get older, we need younger people to come in also to continue the ceremony," said King. "It gives you a cause and it gives you something to remind you how important it was that we owe our freedom to the men that did die and are buried here. It gives you a chance to honor them."
Anyone is interested in participating in these ceremonies in the future, can contact King at mrfking001@gmail.com.
Zachary Taylor National Cemetery is located at 4701 Brownsboro Road.
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