Volunteers comb Oak Hill Cemetery today to honor veterans

YOUNGSTOWN

Daniel D. Jones isn’t exactly a household name.

His headstone shows only his name and that he died in April 1926, though a little research reveals that Jones had served in the Army and fought in the Civil War.

Despite that scant knowledge, Carlos Jones was no less honored to assist with placing an American flag next to the late soldier’s gravesite.

“It’s been fun looking at history here,” said Jones, who is not a descendant of Daniel D. Jones.

He was one of several dozen volunteers who fanned out across Oak Hill Cemetery Saturday morning to place Memorial Day flags next to tombstones that mark where an estimated 900 veterans of all military branches are buried throughout the vast, hilly South Side graveyard.

Leading the two-hour research project to honor those who served the nation were Stefan Wydell Jones, a local historian, and Bill Broadhead, who make up the Broadhead-Wydell Memorial Team.

The soldiers, about which little is known of some of them, were among those who fought in the Revolutionary, Civil, Spanish-American, Mexican, Korean and Vietnam wars as well as World Wars I and II.

Carlos Jones, who served in the Army Reserves, used sophisticated and updated information that included a map to guide fellow volunteer John Freeze toward Daniel Jones’ gravesite before Freeze inserted the flag. Both men said they wanted to do something to remember and honor veterans while giving back to the community.

Read more about the effort in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.