Black veterans at Lebanon Cemetery, once lost, will be honored this weekend

Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record
·3 min read

Standing tall, leveled, with sharply defined lines, 12 fresh military memorials honoring Black soldiers who served the United States military will be honored at the Lebanon Cemetery in North York at 1 p.m. Saturday. The honors came with a delay of decades.

These men, who fought by the side of their white counterparts, had been forgotten.

“Through segregation, all of the soldiers, up until the 1960s, would not have been permitted to be buried at a military cemetery, so they are here simply because of the color of their skin,” said Samantha Dorm, a volunteer with Friends of Lebanon Cemetery.

A new stone for World War II veteran Charles L. Sharp rises above the buried marker that marked his final resting place for decades.
A new stone for World War II veteran Charles L. Sharp rises above the buried marker that marked his final resting place for decades.

The cemetery, which is 5 acres, has been the final resting place for 330 veterans since 1872, with the list growing all the time as more covered grave markers are discovered, Dorm said.

Three years ago, volunteers started to “recover and tell the stories of our loved ones,” Dorm said. The operation involved not only ancestry searches, but as Dorm explains, “recover” is physically digging up the small surface stones that had lost their identities over time as they slowly slipped beneath the soil on the sloping hillside.

Video:Prominent black families, Lebanon Cemetery: Samantha Dorm, Pivotal Moments in York History

Video:History in a cemetery, touring Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is invited to help preserve

More:For the first time in York County, an African American is honored with a public statue

During the recovery of 800 markers, the volunteers found a number of individuals who served in the military. The small stones that were raised only had a name and their birth and death dates.

Working with York County Veterans Affairs, cemetery volunteers were able to get the 12 markers installed and will be adding more in the spring.

A stone for James Brent Brown is different from the other now stones because it was ordered by his mother in 1970. The stone was delivered at that time and no one was there to receive it. His mother died in 1971. Over the next 50 years, the double Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient's smaller stone, at left, disappeared into the ground.
A stone for James Brent Brown is different from the other now stones because it was ordered by his mother in 1970. The stone was delivered at that time and no one was there to receive it. His mother died in 1971. Over the next 50 years, the double Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient's smaller stone, at left, disappeared into the ground.

After only five months in the infantry, James Brent Brown, 20, died in the Vietnam War from an explosion. He earned two bronze stars and a purple heart. His marker, chosen by his mother Marie in 1970, never made it to his cemetery plot, despite the paperwork being filed, according to records obtained by Tina Charles, president of Friends of Lebanon Cemetery.

The record showed that the order was received and approved, but when it was delivered, there was no one to receive it at the cemetery. His mother died in 1971. His small marker, without recognition of his service, had slipped beneath the surface after a 50-year exposure to the seasons.

Brown will be honored along with 11 other veterans Saturday for service in both world wars and raising families in York but never receiving their military honors in the end.

One of the earliest veteran markers at Lebanon Cemetery is for Greenberry S. Robinson who was a cook during the American Civil War. About 330 Black veterans are known to be buried at the cemetery.
One of the earliest veteran markers at Lebanon Cemetery is for Greenberry S. Robinson who was a cook during the American Civil War. About 330 Black veterans are known to be buried at the cemetery.

For Dorm, the story of Lebanon Cemetery is personal.

“I have a good number of family members here but didn’t know their stories, including their military service. To be able to stand here and represent all the African American families here in York County, particularly those who served, I’m humbled that our group is able to provide this resource to the community,” she said.

I have captured life through the lens since 1983, and am currently a visual journalist with the USA Today Network. You can reach me at pkuehnel@ydr.com

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Black veterans graves and their service forgotten for decades