MACON, Ga. — On Memorial Day, people in Macon gathered at Linwood Cemetery to remember veterans who bravely lost their lives. The cemetery has over 14 acres of land and about 4,000 people are buried there.
The ceremony began with a prayer, a presentation of colors, and a crowd singing of the national anthem. People shared stories of veterans they had never met, but all were grateful for their sacrifice.
Two veterans honored were Navy veteran George Vining and Medal of Honor Marine veteran Sergeant Rodney Davis. Vining was one of the first people killed in the Pearl Harbor bombing.
Davis threw his body over a grenade meant to destroy him and his fellow marines during the Vietnam War.
Major Kevin Gunerman was at the ceremony with his wife Lynn Gunerman.
"I'm the JROTC instructor at West Side High School. And about 15 years ago, one of the cadets came up with a service project here at Linwood," he said.
The project started a 15-year tradition of bringing students to the cemetery every other weekend to learn about its history while cleaning up the overgrown cemetery.
"That first Saturday, this plot, you couldn't get to at all," he said.
He still comes every single Saturday with his wife to make sure people can find the graves of Vining, Davis, and others.
"There's a lot of history here. Lot of brave men and women who've served," Gunerman said.
Alice Jackson with the Macon Cemetery Preservation Corporation has spearheaded weekly cleanups with her children at Linwood Cemetery for over 40 years.
"It's keeping your community. And taking pride in your community and the people that made the ultimate sacrifice for us," Jackson said.
Her daughter Yolanda Latimore said every day is a struggle to make it look as nice as it was in the past.
"The work wasn't as hard. Everybody just kind of took care of their family plot, and you could actually drive through the cemetery," Latimore said.
She hopes people can someday drive through it again, and that more people step up to honor the fallen heroes buried there.
Linwood Cemetery is privately owned, and volunteers gather every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to noon to do a variety of work to maintain the cemetery.
Anyone is welcome to join them. The Historic Linwood Cemetery Endowment Fund was set up to support the preservation and upkeep of the cemetery.
You can donate to these funds by visiting cfcga.org/donate/.