Volunteers care for forgotten veterans' graves

NEW JERSEY (FOX 5 NEWS) - Roy DeYoung Jr. isn't a landscaper by trade. Respect for his country is why he is carrying a shovel in a cemetery in New Jersey.

During a recent visit to clean his father's grave at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, the volunteer firefighter noticed the graves of dozens of other veterans needed similar attention. So he rounded up some friends and said this is something that must be done.

The cemetery has more than 180,000 graves, 3,000 of which are of veterans. Groundskeepers maintain the lawns and trees but taking care of the grave markers is up to family members of the deceased. In some cases, no family is left.

Volunteer Gina Kiely showed Fox 5 a grave marker of a veteran of the Spanish–American War, fought in 1898.

So for now, Roy, Gina, and their friends will fill those vacancies. And they are honored to do so.