Gone Graving

09/03/2025

PVT. Stewart Holmes Hatch was born on July 29, 1924, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the only child of Harvey and Edith (Holmes) Hatch. He grew up with his parents on Bay View Avenue, just steps from the shoreline, where the tides and winds of the Atlantic formed the backdrop of his boyhood.

As a young man, Stewart worked as a metalworker, a trade that required precision, patience, and strength—qualities that would later define his service in wartime.

On March 5, 1943, Stewart enlisted in Boston and was assigned to the 540th Engineer Regiment, a unit whose work often placed it at the spearhead of Allied advances. The 540th had been activated the previous year and quickly gained a reputation for versatility and courage. They landed in North Africa during Operation Torch, fought through Sicily and Italy, and cleared ports, bridges, and minefields while under fire. At Anzio in 1944, the regiment supported the landings that paved the way to Rome, and later that summer they took part in Operation Dragoon, landing in southern France to secure beachheads and supply routes.

By late 1944, as the Allies pressed toward Germany, the regiment was called into one of the war’s most brutal campaigns: the Battle of the Bulge. In bitter winter conditions, engineers like Stewart were tasked with clearing mines, building and defending bridges, and maintaining vital supply lines under constant threat of enemy fire. Their work was critical to the Allied effort, though it came with immense risk.

On January 1, 1945, while engaged in fighting near Épinal, France, Stewart was reported missing in action. He was just 20 years old.

Though his life was cut tragically short, Stewart’s service reflects the story of countless young men who left home, family, and familiar shores to fight for something greater than themselves. His name and sacrifice live on in the legacy of the 540th Engineer Regiment and in the memory of a generation that bore the weight of freedom’s defense.

This is my brother's dog tag from We Will Remember.

08/30/2025

Here are some examples of stones that were cleaned with bleach. You shouldn't use bleach to clean a headstone because its sodium hypochlorite content creates salt residue that crystallizes and expands inside the stone's pores, causing it to decay, weaken, and erode from within, leading to permanent damage like pitting, discoloration, and a "sugary" or sandblasted appearance. Bleach's high alkalinity also damages the stone's structure over time, and it can kill surrounding vegetation.

08/25/2025

Soldier of the week.

PVT Charlie Floyd Aaron was born on October 11, 1892, in the small community of Hayston, Georgia. He was the oldest of four children born to Clifford Aaron and Julia (Hays) Aaron, and he grew up in nearby Mansfield, Newton County, where he spent his childhood helping his family and working the land.

When the United States entered the First World War in 1917, Charlie was 25 years old. Like many young men of his generation, he answered the call to serve. On July 24, 1918, he entered military service at Camp Gordon near Atlanta, Georgia—a major training center during the war. He began his training with Company 24 of the 6th Training Battalion, 157th Depot Brigade, which prepared new recruits for overseas duty.

Just a month later, on August 26, 1918, Charlie was assigned to Company M of the 15th Infantry Regiment. In late September, his regiment was ordered to France. On September 26, 1918, he departed Hoboken, New Jersey, aboard the transport ship Northern Pacific. The voyage carried him across the Atlantic toward the front lines of the Western Front, where American forces were heavily engaged in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the largest battle fought by U.S. troops in World War I.

Sadly, Charlie never reached the battlefield. During the journey or shortly after arrival, he contracted pneumonia—a common and often fatal illness during the 1918 influenza pandemic, which ravaged military camps and troop ships during the war. Despite medical care, his condition worsened, and on October 9, 1918, just two days before his 26th birthday, Charlie died in Brest, France, one of the primary ports for American troops arriving in Europe.

His family received the heartbreaking news only weeks before the Armistice ended the war on November 11, 1918.

After the war, his remains were returned to Newton County, and sources indicate he rests at Carmel Cemetery in Mansfield, Georgia, near the community where he grew up. (Some contemporary listings still note his repatriation from France in June 1920 and do not specify the cemetery.)

Though his time in service was brief, PVT Charlie Floyd Aaron is remembered as one of the many young men whose lives were cut short in service to their country during the First World War.

08/21/2025

I went to the Butler Center Cemetery yesterday to look at some stones for future repairs. I'll only be repairing 2 of these this year, picture's 2 and 3.

Let's keep this graving train rolling!

08/18/2025

Here is a list of materials you will need if you want to start cleaning headstones as a hobby.

If anyone wants to get into tombstone cleaning you don’t need any super fancy products. All you need is a soft bristle brush, a couple spray bottles and the cleaner.

Here is my cleaning kit:
D/2 Biological Solution
A spray bottle for the D/2
An electric sprayer full of water
Two 8” Hardwood Fender Tampico Brushes #41
Utility Tampico Brush #166
Plastic Scrapers
Bamboo Skewers
Mini Nylon Detail Brush
Tough1 Great Grips Horse Brush
DG Home Pot & Pan Brush and a blue one as well (both soft bristle brushes)

08/18/2025

Soldier of the week
We Will Remember

Technician Fifth Class Iven Allen, Jr. was born on August 4, 1920, in Big Springs, Kentucky, the seventh of nine children of Iven and Susie (Ewing) Allen. By 1930, the family lived on Long Hollow Road in Hardin County, Kentucky.

Iven attended Daviess County High School, where he met his future wife, Mary Osborn. Both graduated in 1938 and starred together in the senior class play. There was a kissing scene, and Mary often told the story that the moment she kissed Iven on stage, she knew one day she would have to marry that man.

After graduation, Iven worked for the Kentucky State Highway Department. He and Mary married on February 17, 1940, in Russellville, Kentucky. The two were inseparable—until the war came. On April 17, 1942, Iven was drafted into the U.S. Army. Mary traveled with him from base to base until he received orders to ship out to Burma.

On February 6, 1945, Iven was aboard the SS Peter Silvester, an unescorted transport ship carrying troops southwest of Australia. At 16:40 hours, the vessel was struck by two torpedoes fired by the German submarine U-862. One torpedo passed completely through the ship without detonating, while the other exploded in the #3 hold, rupturing the deck and flooding the hold and engine room.

Thirty minutes later, two more torpedoes hit the ship, and at 17:10 hours, a final strike broke her in two. The forward section sank immediately. Survivors abandoned the ship in lifeboats and rafts, but Iven Allen did not make it. His body was never recovered.

He left behind Mary, their young son Larry, his parents, four brothers, and six sisters—a family who deeply mourned the loss of a devoted husband, father, son, and brother.
From his son Larry:

“My Mom and Dad graduated from Daviess County High School the same year, 1938. They had the leading roles in the senior play. Evidently there was a kissing scene and my Mom loved to tell the story that when she kissed Dad in the play, she knew then that one day, she would have to have that man. They married on February 17, 1940. My Mom and Dad were inseparable, that is, until the war broke out and Dad was drafted. Mom followed him to every military base until he was shipped out to Burma. My father died in WWII on February 6, 1945. He went down with his ship, the SS Peter Silvester, off the coast of Perth, Australia. Mom never got over losing him. She never remarried and always hoped that somehow he survived and one day would come home. She said his last words to her were that he loved her very much and not to worry, because he would be coming back. She said Dad never lied to her, so she just knew he would make it. Sadly, he didn’t. She missed him terribly and felt no man could ever take his place.”

08/17/2025

We have done it! Thank you so much for your love and support. If you haven't done so already, check me out on my other socials. Links in the comments.

08/14/2025

I had some help today at the Huron Evergreen Cemetery over in Huron. Huge shout out to my friends Alex Dewolf and Christin Barton for helping repair 10 headstones today!

08/13/2025

Soldier of the week, We Will Remember.

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What would you have done if you were sent to go fight in a foreign country?

The story of SSGT Alton Darnell Woodruff is just one among hundreds of Americans who gave their lives for their country in Vietnam.

Alton was born on August 11, 1940, in La Grange, Georgia, the only child of John, a World War II veteran, and Mary (Freeman) Woodruff. He attended Darnell High School, graduating in 1958. In 1963, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving as a helicopter maintenance chief for six years.

On January 21, 1965, he married the love of his life, Mary, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Three years later, on September 13, 1968, the couple welcomed a daughter, also named Mary. Tragically, their child died the same day at Fort Bragg.

Just two months later, on December 7, 1968, Alton reenlisted for a second tour in Vietnam. He served as a Staff Sergeant with the 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry.

On April 26, 1969, WO1 Richard L. Turley was piloting a U.S. Army OH-6A light observation helicopter from A Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 1st Aviation Brigade, with SSGT Woodruff as the observer. They were on a reconnaissance mission over Phuoc Long Province, Republic of Vietnam, when their aircraft was struck by an enemy rocket-propelled gr***de. The helicopter crashed and burned, killing both Turley and Woodruff.

Alton was the first member of the Darnell High School Class of 1958 to lose his life in Vietnam. His sacrifice was deeply felt in the small Georgia town where he had grown up, a reminder that the war’s reach extended far beyond the jungles of Southeast Asia.

Today, his name lives on—etched into memorial walls, spoken at reunions, and remembered by those who knew him. He was more than a soldier; he was a son, a husband, a father, and a friend. And though his life was cut short, his courage and devotion left a legacy that time cannot erase.

Alton was laid to rest in the Bay Minette Cemetery in Bay Minette, Alabama.

08/12/2025

Go follow We Will Remember! They are a non-profit organization that does free dog tags in remembrance of our fallen soldiers.

The founder of Gone Graving- a high school teenage and boy scout like me- has volunteered to help We Will Remember by researching and posting information about a servicemember who gave their life for our country weekly on the We Will Remember platform. Thank you Parker!