If you take a photo of a veteran's grave for a memorial that I maintain, please take it with an American Flag!

(Exceptions: Civil War or service in a foreign military.

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I am a Vietnam Veteran. Since 2010, I have made it a personal mission to identify veteran's graves in the counties where I have lived and in 2011 began to create memorials for them on FindaGrave.

I began on a small scale in 2006 in Western Davidson County, NC where I helped put flags on graves of veterans for the Reeds American Legion for Memorial Day. Beginning in 2012, I documented veterans for two years in Columbus County, NC. From 2014 to 2021, I did the same for cemeteries in Christian County, Kentucky. I moved back to North Carolina to Catawba County in mid 2021 and have begun my work here as well as continuing my research with volunteer help in Kentucky.

On June 3, 2023, I received an invitation to attend "Kentucky Day" at the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort. While there, I was recognized for the cemetery work that I had completed in Christian County.

Here is my introduction from the Kentucky Historical Society:

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"During a seven-year period, Mr. Joe Craver documented the grave sites of more than 8,300 military veterans and spurred the reclamation of a neglected African American cemetery. He expanded biographical information for Hopkinsville's first generation of freed Black community members.

In addition to documenting the grave sites of veterans and adding biographical information to thousands of FindaGrave.com entries for people who were buried in Christian County, Mr. Craver also created the first FindaGrave account for the Union Benevolent Society Cemetery # 5, an historically black cemetery better known in Hopkinsville as the Vine Street Cemetery.

By documenting the biographies of formerly enslaved people, Union Army veterans, and emancipated residents who became Hopkinsville's first generation of freed black clergy, teachers and business owners, Mr. Craver has directly influenced the revival of the Vine Street Cemetery as a Hopkinsville Historic Site.

The Award of Distinction goes to Mr. Joe Craver."

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I have now documented over 10,700 veteran graves in Christian County, KY, and currently over 11,900 veteran graves in Catawba County, NC. (Most are on FindaGrave by various contributors.)

I am Graves and Registration Officer for Post #544 of The American Legion and maintain memorial book using FindaGrave memorial of our former members and also for the veterans honored by our Veterans Honor Guard at graveside funeral services.

I am a life member of 4 veteran's organizations and will continue to honor my fellow veterans as long as I am able to walk a cemetery and type on my computer.

I also ask you to honor our brave veterans.