MT. WASHINGTON, Ky. (WDRB) --Â A Mount Washington cemetery that prides itself in how it serves military families, is now getting questions, after several graves have become neglected.
Hundreds of veterans are buried at Highland Memory Gardens and some of their gravesite markers are maintained, while some just feet away, are barely visible.
At first glance, Highland Memory Gardens looks beautiful. But, when you take a step closer, several gravesite markers look neglected.
Danny Easton, drives in from Louisville to visit his stepfather, at Highland Memory Gardens in Mt. Washington.
"Their excuse was, they're short of help,"Â Danny Easton, who drives in from Louisville to visit his stepfather, said. "One of the best guy's I've ever met in my life."
Eugene Siroki, Easton's stepfather, died in 2008 and served in the Vietnam War.
"We were gonna put the flowers on his grave. I couldn't find his gravesite," Easton said.
Easton said grass was taking over his stepfather's gravesite until he stepped in.
"It's gotten a lot worse than when I first started coming out here. I'm not sure if people who originally owned it, either retired or did what they did. Kids, or whatever, somebody took it over and since (then), it went downhill," Easton said. "Every time I come out here, I'll clean it. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem doing that. But I know, it just, it needs to be, a better job of taking care of it."
Danny's stepdad, Eugene Siroki, served in the Vietnam War. (Submitted photo)
Easton spoke with cemetery employees six times.
"You spent all this money to do this put your loved one out here and thinking they're going to take care of it," Easton said.
They told him they are understaffed.
"I guess they are working on it a little at a time, but you know, it still looks, I ain't happy with what it looks like, especially with it being a veterans cemetery," Easton said.
With it being the final resting place for hundreds of World War II, Korean, and Vietnam veterans, Easton's family is disappointed.
"I told my mom about this, showed her pictures and she wasn't happy," Easton said. "If it wasn't for our veterans, they wouldn't be where they are today."
Easton said it's all about respect, it's the least the cemetery could do to honor those who gave so much.
"If it's a veterans part or not, any cemetery should not look like this," Easton said. "Y'all need to do a better job."
WDRB reached out to the cemetery for comment and has not heard back.
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