There isn't a real term for coins left on the headstones of veterans at rest in the Churchill County Cemetery. But Cemetery Coordinator Claude Parsley explained they are left by anonymous fellow service members as a token of their remembrance and respect.
“If you are visiting someone that served in the military, and you had no affiliation with them, you leave a penny to say that you visited that veteran. If you leave a nickel, that says that you did basic training together but that was as far as you served together. If you leave a dime, that says you served with that person in your military career after basic training. If you leave a quarter, that says you were with them in their unit when they passed.” When asked about maintaining the grounds around those headstones he said, “We try to move them when we we're using the weed-eaters, and then put them back. But sometimes the coins get caught by the mower tires, and they get lost in the grass. The coins do also get picked up when we pick up all the flowers so that everything starts fresh. There is so much meaning in the tradition, and it's been a pretty common practice in the veterans’ sections of the cemetery.”
Claude estimated that at present, there are between 1,100 and 1,200 military members buried there. The original veterans’ section has headstones that date back to World War I which was filled long ago. Since the 1970s, three more cemetery sections have been added, and new veterans’ sections were designated within them. Sadly, those are now running out of room, but the cemetery expansion area that is planned will include another larger veterans’ section. “They make the ultimate sacrifice for us, so we provide a peaceful, honorable place for them to be at rest.”
Cemetery Board member Jaime Sammons, who also volunteers at the cemetery, brought this story idea to “The Fallon Post” saying, “We get an instant heartfelt connection working at the cemetery and coming across a coin on a headstone. I volunteer out there, pruning, weeding, and cleaning up. So, as I'm out there bumping around, I started to see the coins. I had read about them on social media, and when you first see them, you get a certain feeling.” She said she is asked often why she would want to volunteer at the cemetery and be on the Cemetery Board. “I'm happy to be able to help, you know, use your superpower for good. I felt I could help out here, I'm good with plants. I do wish more people would come out for visits. It is such a beautiful place.”
She got hooked on the volunteer idea when she saw the headstone of a lady who passed back in 1838, and beside it was a beautiful old rose bush. “Beautiful hips, on its own rootstock. It made me wonder who this lady was, why she had a rose, and how old the rose was. There's one other patch of wild rose, otherwise, there aren't any here. I took some cuttings to preserve it, and now those cuttings are doing really well. There are also some old heritage trees that we've taken cuttings of to preserve those too.”
Jaime and her husband Kevin are both Navy veterans. She served five years as a Helicopter Crewman Rescue Swimmer and he retired after 24 years of service, first as a Rescue Swimmer and then as a Navy SEAL. “Funny story, SEALs used our helicopter all the time, and Kevin and I were in Kuwait at the same time. So, I'm certain he was on my helicopter at some point. But we didn't meet until we got here in Fallon.” Our service members and all that they give are imperative to our country. Working among those who have passed and tending to the plantings around them is just a continuation of Jaime's service, only now it's to Fallon and Churchill County.
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