Honoring the veterans Honoring the veterans (January 28, 2005)

Scout to mark graves of 450 who served their country
by Dolores Fox Ciardelli

Kenny Lewis, 15, has a mission. He wants to put permanent markers on the grave of every veteran buried in Pleasanton, and in the process he will also earn his Eagle Scout rank. One of the requirements to make the Eagle grade is to plan and complete a project that benefits the community.

"My troop and I go out to the graveyards on Memorial Day and Veterans Day and I've always noticed when we're placing flags on them, they aren't marked," said Lewis, a sophomore at De La Salle High School in Concord. "It's like a scavenger hunt. I wanted to make it easier."

He plans to place markers at the grave of each military veteran at the Pleasanton Gardens Memorial Cemetery and the St. Augustine Catholic Cemetery on Sunol Boulevard. He is also developing a locator map for the veterans' graves.

Lewis, a member of Troop 941, wants to purchase high quality markers that will last for many years, and hence the hurdle: the cost.

"It's an aluminum base marker, basically like a flag holder," Lewis said. "It has a medallion on top of a pedestal, which can be put into the ground, has a star and an eagle and says, 'U.S. Veteran.'"

There are currently 450 veterans at both cemeteries, he said. "My goal is to purchase 500 grave markers and to provide the Pleasanton VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Post with the 50 extra markers for future use," he explained.

"These symbolic grave markers are a way in which we can show our gratitude to the military veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice to our country," Lewis said.

Lewis has been raising funds since the fall toward the necessary $3,500. "Right now I have $2,000," he said earlier this week. He needs to collect the extra $1,500 by the end of February when he will place the order.

Anyone who would like to contribute can call him at 846-7551. His address is 7235 Valley Trails Drive, Pleasanton 94588, and he noted that he would be happy to pick up contributions.

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