Respect for the fallen

On Memorial Day, amongst the barbecues, lake trips and a well-earned day of rest, it's those dearly departed who have given of themselves on the battlefield and in the armed forces in defense of our country's freedoms who are in the spotlight.

All who have served the United States of America with distinction, honor and sacrifice have earned our lasting gratitude and respect for their sense of duty.

It's that last concept, respect, that has inspired Bruce Willyard to maintain the veterans' section of the Carrington Cemetery so that their service is not forgotten.

"I've been doing this for about four to five years now," the soft-spoken Willyard says. "The cemetery board approached me about it, and I approached them too. It was kind of a mutual affair."

Willyard retired from an over 40-year career in the excavation business last November, which was started by his father, Alan. During those years, the Willyards and their crew dug hundreds of graves for veterans and civilians alike.

Now, he employs the tools of the trade to ensure that military members' headstones are aligned in a straight line, at identical heights, and not sitting askew in any way.

"I told [the board], 'Maybe we should do some stone straightening," he says. "The section was getting to look pretty disrespectful, and with the ground settling, it just needed attention."

While he's not a veteran himself, saying he "had his Army physical, but that's as far as it went," the 1971 CHS graduate saw many of his classmates enter service in the Vietnam War era, some of whom did not make it back.

To realign the stones, Willyard uses a hydraulic pump jack to raise the heavy markers, and places shims made of treated wood under the stones to angle them in perfect perpendicular fashion. The ground is then filled and packed neatly.

A quick gaze of the bubbles on the level completes the process, and then it's on to the next stone.

"The jacks work really well for that," said Willyard. "With the shims, I'm always scrounging and scavenging, because I use a lot of it. I've also used string line before as well."

His main philosophy for his work is a simple one.

"I just try to keep everything on an even keel," he says.

For all those visiting Carrington Cemetery to pay their respects to those who have served, or to any hallowed ground for that matter, Willyard has some advice.

"It's always a somber place," he says. "Make sure to be sincere, and behave with respect and reverence to your loved ones and others."

Willyard says that plants and memorials left at gravesites are usually left alone for a period of two weeks after Memorial Day, upon which they are removed.

Members of the Carrington Cemetery Board are Don Caylor, President; Tom Sauby, Laurie Aljets, Brad Solberg, and Marlene Smith, Treasurer.

Those who wish to make a monetary donation to the Cemetery for upkeep, materials or any other purpose, may mail a check to: Carrington Cemetery, P.O. Box 355, Carrington, ND 58421.

For more information, contact Caylor at 652-5944, or Evans Funeral Home at 652-3003.