Today was all about honoring our fallen heroes, and let me tell you, it was an incredible experience. We kicked things off right on the grounds of Mount Bethel Cemetery in Columbia, Pennsylvania, with an amazing presentation by Blankets of Honor.
Manny Acuna, the Chief Executive Officer for Blankets of Honor, started the morning by presenting a blanket to Captain Rettenberg to honor his years of dedicated service. The Captain’s background is deeply humbling. He holds a Bronze Star, two Meritorious Unit Citations, the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, GWOT, NATO ribbon, Air Force Achievement Medal, and the Army Overseas Service Ribbon, just to name a few. Standing there and recognizing his service set the perfect tone for the rest of the day.
After the presentation, we moved into the main event: the Honor the Fallen headstone cleaning. This incredible effort was put together and led by Army veteran Ryan Sexton. Thanks to Ryan’s hard work organizing everything, we had a great group out there. As we walked the grounds washing the headstones of these veterans, I got to take in some of the unbelievable history of Mount Bethel Cemetery. It was established back in 1730, making it one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active burial grounds around.
Over the centuries, more than 10,000 people have been laid to rest here, including over 700 military veterans. You can find heroes from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II, all the way up to the Gulf War. In fact, nearly every major conflict is represented here, except for Iraq and Afghanistan.
This cemetery is also packed with unique local history. For instance, four out of the five famous Bridge Burners are buried right here. Back during the Civil War, Colonel Jacob Frick, the on-site commander of the Union forces, received orders to do whatever it took to stop the Confederates from crossing the Susquehanna River. To deteriorate their advance, he ordered the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge to be destroyed. He delegated the task to Robert Crane, a local railroad engineer, and four other men.
Then there is the story of William Campbell. He was an eighteenth-century fur trapper who passed away on May 4, 1758, at the age of 65. Knowing his time was coming, Campbell actually carved his own tombstone, and it is still sitting on the grounds today.
Taking part in this event is a great reminder of why we need to preserve our history and honor the men and women who built and defended our communities.
For more history on the Cemetery go to their website: https://MTBETHELCEMETERY.ORG
