Tireless veteran works to restore abandoned cemetery

Over 60 veterans from both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, even from the Spanish-American War lie at Memory Gardens Cemetery, among sunken headstones and neglected grounds.

Vietnam Veteran and cancer survivor Cruz Abarca said he’s working to change that.

“It seemed a shame that these people weren’t given the honor and the respect that everybody deserves that’s interned in any cemetery,” Abarca said.

For fifteen years, he asked Imperial County to care for the cemetery, located on Highway 86, between El Centro and Brawley, Abarca explained. When he felt that nothing was being done, he and a small group of volunteers took up the challenge last year.

“A big wrong that’s got to be righted. This is an injustice to these people that are out here,” Abarca said.

The community has helped, as well.

“We’ve had companies donate sand to donate headstones. We had a gentleman come out here from a landscaping company to do all the pruning on the trees and palms,” Abarca said.

Headstones have been rescued.

“They were completely buried about a foot and a half deep. We’ve already raised over three-hundred-fifty headstones,” Abarca said.

And there’s more work to be done.

“At least about another two hundred on the south side,” Abarca said.

Abarca and his team have a long-term plan.

“Once we get all the headstones raise we’re going to put flowers in all the headstones. And we’re going to show them that, yes, we do honor their service, and even for the ones that are here that are non-military, we’ll honor their memory as well,” Abarca said.

He needs more volunteers, sand, benches and flowers. Abarca said to continue this work is the honorable thing to do.

“There’s a lot of work, lots of things to be done. If it’s only me out here, then it’s only me. But, everybody that shows up there’s no words that i can say thank you,” Abarca said.

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