COMAL COUNTY, Texas – An 11-year-old boy is on a mission to ensure veterans’ graves are not forgotten.
Nicholas Pinkerton, founder of the Warriors Remembrance Foundation, is leading a volunteer effort to clean and maintain veterans’ graves across several cemeteries.
Pinkerton and his team of volunteers spent hours on April 5 at the historical Fischer Cemetery in Comal County, cleaning over 60 gravesites.
Their work included cleaning headstones, placing bronze medallions and adding American flags to each site.
“We should make sure their graves are cleaned, and they’re marked so people know who they are,” Pinkerton said.
For over a year, Pinkerton has led efforts at nine cemeteries, cleaning nearly 300 veterans’ graves. His goal is to clean over 500 by the end of the year.
“It’s going to take a lot,” Pinkerton said as he looked at one gravestone with visible dirt and bird droppings. “We have to take care of this right now.”
The Fischer Cemetery project is significant for Pinkerton as it marks the discovery of over 20 previously unrecognized veterans’ graves.
The cemetery, which initially had 43 veterans’ graves, now has 67.
Each grave costs about $125 to clean, with an additional $25 for an annual maintenance service. Pinkerton is determined to continue his mission and expand his work despite the costs.
While his nonprofit remains small, Pinkerton has big aspirations. His long-term goal is to pass legislation requiring all veterans’ graves in private, municipal, and family cemeteries to be marked with flags year-round and maintained regularly.
“I want to make sure these heroes are honored and remembered, no matter where they rest,” he said.
The Warriors Remembrance Foundation’s work continues, and its volunteers remain dedicated to ensuring that veterans’ graves are treated with the respect they deserve.
For more information on how you can support the nonprofit, click here.
