JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Across the First Coast, military men and women who served our country were honored today on Veterans Day.
The Inaugural Flag & Wreath Memorial Service of Remembrance was held Monday afternoon for a group of veterans worthy of honoring.
Hundreds of veterans are buried in Pinehurst Cemetery, but for the first time, a group of African American veterans received recognition and a flag placed in front of their headstones as a thank you for their service.
Local veterans, families and elected officials gathered in Pinehurst cemetery to pay their respects to the African American veterans being recognized for the first time.
For years, Patricia Davenport-Jacobs and her cemetery restoration team have been collecting information to identify all the people buried at Pinehurst. The team then used all of that information to identify the African American military veterans buried there.
According to Davenport-Jacobs, they found several hundred.
“We work really hard to give respect back to those who are buried and I think specifically with the military veterans even more so it’s just an honor it really is,” said Davenport-Jacobs.
Now, decades after serving, more than two dozen African American Jacksonville vets were given a proper grave and restored headstone for the very first time.
“These headstones were actually never placed so when we were performing the conditions assessment for the cemetery we found these in a pile and we wanted to bring some honor and recognition so visiting family members could see the stones here,” she said.
An honor long overdue for the men and women in uniform.
“That’s monumental right there,” said Ronald Jackson, a retired Marine. “You know it’s sad we have to wait so long to make these accomplishments but at least they’re coming.”
“I've been riding past this cemetery for years and I didn't know that we had this many African American veterans in this cemetery,” said Anthony Landrum,a retired Marine. “I am very proud to be here and help honor these veterans, Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.”
Pinehurst Cemetery is just one of the many cemeteries on the Northside being restored.
Jacobs tells First Coast News her restoration team is also working on identifying veterans at Hillside Cemetery, Memorial Cemetery and Mount Olive Cemetery; all cemeteries in the Moncrief area.