Vintage

TASK FORCE CHRISTMAN

WRITTEN IN STONE

by Sherry S. Johnston

(Genealogist/Historian Evergreen-Conecuh Co. Public Library This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Recently, you may have read online or in newspapers the story of the Army’s historic Old Guard photographing more than 219,000 grave markers & the front of more than 43,000 sets of cremated remains in the columbarium of Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. In 2010, a scandal erupted over mismanagement of the cemetery’s burial records, where inspection revealed unmarked and mismarked graves. After investigation, the Congress then mandated that the cemetery account for the graves of the more than 330,000 people interred. What a monumental task to complete! Their mission was identified as “Task Force Christman” in honor of Pvt. William Henry Christman, an Easton, PA native and civil war soldier who was the first soldier buried at Arlington. The troops executing this mission are from Delta Company of the 1st Battn of the 3rd US Army Regiment, known as the Old Guard—the Army’s official ceremonial unit, which provides escorts to the president and helps put on military funerals.

Shop Amazon's Gift Cards - Perfect Anytime

Shop Amazon's Holiday Countdown Store

CHECK HERE FOR BOOK UPDATES!

Night by night, grave by grave, Old Guard Troops have been photographing the cemetery in an effort to account for every grave and to update and fully digitize the cemetery maps. They have been doing this at night to escape the summer heat as well as to avoid interruption of daily funerals. Eventually, the military hope they can use the photos to create an online database for the public. According to records, over 4 million people annually visit and pay their respects at this national cemetery. For more information and photographs of the troops performing their mission, take a look at http://www.greenfieldreporter.com and look for Arlington Cemetery story.

Last year, I put out a call to cemetery enthusiasts, preservationists, historians and genealogists to meet with me and volunteer to help us create a digital account of our cemeteries in Conecuh County, as well as in surrounding counties. Thankfully, many of our cemeteries are recorded in book form, as well as online for many genealogical and historical websites. However, it’s time that we have something else to offer those that search for their ancestors graves. If you’re looking for a new hobby or a way to combine your love of photography and genealogy, come see me. I might have a cemetery that needs to be photographically recorded, and you’re just perfect for the job!