Lockhart Honors Veterans

Lockhart honors veterans

Memorial Day brings out the best in many Americans. While to some, the weekend is little more than one of several 3-day holidays that we have come to expect and enjoy, to others it is a time for reflection on – and thanks to – those who have sacrificed to safeguard our liberties.

Or maybe it’s just that over this particular weekend, we choose to notice the “best” that exists in us all. Maybe it would behoove us to notice that “best” a little more often… like all year long?

I would like to thank GHS 2010 graduate Patrick Lockhart for his service, which he begins next month, and for the unique method he has chosen to honor our veterans. I’d also like to thank Lyn Bliss, Senior Scribe, for recognizing and writing about it.

His story…

Patrick Lockhart is a member of the Greenville High School class of 2010. He will be reporting to the Marines on June 6. Meanwhile, he is using his spare time to clean headstones in the veterans’ section of Greenville Union Cemetery.  There are approximately 110 headstones in this section, marking just part of the graves of the more than 1,200 veterans interred throughout the cemetery.

Lockhart’s great uncle Robert Beasecker was killed in WWII and is interred in the veterans’ section. When Lockhart went to pay his respects to his uncle, he said he was disappointed that he could not clearly read the headstone. He went to speak with the cemetery’s director Dick O’Brien, asking how to clean the stone and asking if it would be permitted to do so. O’Brien explained what would be the best procedure for cleaning the marble. Lockhart went home, gathered cleaning materials, went back and got to work. As the marble became white, the inscription also became legible again.

When Lockhart saw the difference that was made in the marker of his great uncle, he went back to O’Brien and asked if it would be possible to clean all of the stones in the veterans’ section.  O’Brien said he was pleased to give his consent.

 “I started last Saturday and have spent 25 or 30 hours so far,” explained Lockhart.  “I want to have them cleaned before the Memorial Day weekend. I use bleach, water, steel wool and brushes.”

Lockhart says he really enjoys watching the writing appear again and finding out what they say as he cleans the stones.  He said two of the most interesting ones were two Civil War veterans that have the same last name, and are buried next to each other. “It’s really interesting reading the stones, I enjoy the history of it.” said Lockhart.

When asked what the oldest stone he has cleaned was, he immediately indicated the stone of a revolutionary war veteran – clean white marble with an easily read inscription.

Asked about his future plans, he indicated that he would like to make a career of the military. He will be reporting to the Marines at Parris Island, S.C. where he will start his duty assigned to Presidential Security.

Lockhart is the son of David and Karen Lockhart of Greenville.