First, there was a moment of silence, followed by the sound of volunteers scrubbing headstones that marked veterans graves at the Richmond National Cemetery on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11.
Nonprofit organization Carry The Load partnered with the Veterans Association National Cemetery Administration for a day of service. Over 60 national cemeteries hosted cleanups and over 4,000 people participated, according to the organization. Veterans and eligible family members can be buried in national cemeteries.
Veteran Nathan Crocco served in the U.S. Army from 2008-2016, and is an ambassador of Carry The Load. This marked his fourth year organizing the annual event at the Richmond National Cemetery, located just east of the city of Richmond. “We host this day of service for those we can’t thank, we can only remember,” Crocco said. “Like the first responders of 9/11, many of those heroes gave their lives, and not for their freedom, but for ours.”
Volunteers used an environmentally friendly cleaning solution mixed with water to scrub clean the named and unnamed headstones. Roughly 40 volunteers worked in groups of two or three, though some cleaned alone, and some were on trash pickup duty. Drinks and snacks were provided to ensure no one got overheated.
This year had the biggest turnout yet, according to Crocco. He hopes the number of volunteers increases in the future, as well as the number of cemeteries getting cleaned.“It’s growing because it’s an outlet for these people to get together, build that camaraderie around something that’s so important to them; whether they were impacted directly by 9/11 or impacted indirectly,” Crocco said.
Gary Cooper was in the Pentagon when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building. The crash killed all 64 passengers on the plane, and 125 people in the Pentagon, according to the Department of Defense.
Cooper served in the Navy from 1978-2006, and continued to work with the branch until last year. He said 9/11 is an emotional day, and he has a significant amount of friends who were impacted. “The main thing is to pay homage to the folks who died, make the headstones look good,” Cooper said. “And I’m trying to bury that feeling of insecurity, bury that feeling of trauma, bury that feeling of sadness.”
Cooper is now the veterans services coordinator at Eggleston Services, which serves veterans and people with disabilities in the Hampton Roads area. Some of his coworkers joined him at Carry The Load. “It’s a multigenerational thing, so it’s a day of remembrance,” Cooper said.
Sharron Stidfole participated in honor of her late husband, an Army veteran. He died over a decade ago, and is buried in Pennsylvania — a distance that keeps her from visiting as often as she would like. She drove from Charlottesville to join the cleanup, saying it was emotional, but “very cathartic.” Stidfole felt closer to her husband through the event, she said. “There was a time where I would have driven here and turned around and gone home,” Stidfole said. “I just wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
Crocco, originally from Chicago, said he moved to the Richmond area in 2020. He feels he has “adopted” the Richmond National Cemetery, and his duty is to continue to carry the load for as long as he can.
“Patriot Day is just a day of service, I hope that spreads like wildfire,” Crocco said.
By Alyssa Hutton / Capital News Service