Volunteers pay tribute on 9/11 by cleaning Knoxville National Cemetery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — As the nation remembers and honors those lost in the September 11 attacks , volunteers in Knoxville paid tribute by helping clean up a veterans’ cemetery.

Dozens of people met up at the Knoxville National Cemetery, a United States National Cemetery first established in 1863 during the Civil War, to clean the cemetery grounds and gravestones.

Joseph Stewart, a maintenance worker at Mountain Home National Cemetery in Johnson City, explained the significance of having volunteers on hand on Patriot Day.

“It gives them a time to reflect on September 11 and share stories of what they remember from September 11,” Stewart said. “And not forget what happened and to keep that tradition going.”

“This cemetery is one of our older cemeteries. We have a lot of big oak trees here and they tend to leave a lot of debris. So it is strenuous, but it is very rewarding in the same process. When you’re doing this you read the inscriptions on the headstones and when you get that headstone back to its sparkling white shine and so forth, it’s a very rewarding feeling when it’s finished.”

The event was organized by the national veterans nonprofit Carry The Load, which works to preserve the sanctity of veterans’ memorials. The group set up volunteering opportunities at 67 national cemeteries across the country, with more than 2,000 participants nationwide.

“It’s kind of near and dear to my heart,” said volunteer Crystal Widemer. “My husband is a veteran, so anything I can do to help give back to the community for those that served and gave their sacrifice for the country, I’m all about.”

Event volunteer Savanah Sommerfeld told 6 News she participated to honor her family members who served in the military as well as her friend Ryan Knauss, the U.S. Army Staff Sgt. from Corryton who was killed by a suicide bombing at Kabul Airport during the final days of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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