Let us Honor Veterans and Their Families
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Richmond, VA
February 11, 2004
CONTACT: Sue Rafferty,
Legislative Assistant,(804)698-1047
Concerning HB 812, Delegate Al Eisenberg gave the following floor speech:
"Mr. Speaker, HB 812, bi-partisan legislation would deter the unauthorized sale of veterans' grave markers. Individual veterans and their organizations across the commonwealth support this legislation. So do the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the Association of the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. In addition, five other states-Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Missouri-all have laws prohibiting such sales.
Going back 130 years or more, veterans' families have placed markers next to the tombstones of their deceased veterans, in honor of their service and memory. These markers are typically metal devices with the emblem of the veteran's organization on them, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, or the Grand Army of the Republic, the American Legion, or the United Confederate Veterans, among many others.
The gravesites are typically in private and public cemeteries. Many of the families that placed these markers have died away, leaving only the graves and the markers. These now rest in custody of private cemetery owners or in the ownership of the entire community in the case of public cemeteries. Unfortunately, the markers are being taken from these places, depriving families of their remembrances and their property and diminishing the heritage of their communities. The markers are showing up on internet auctions and for sale sites, as well as in antique stores and flea markets. Veterans to whom I have spoken feel that it is a form of grave robbing.
While the law already makes it a crime to steal these items or to own stolen property, it does not prohibit their sale. My bill would do that and that's what would provide the deterrent effect. To give the antiquing and collecting community time to learn of the restriction on grave marker trafficking, the law would not go into effect until January 1, 2005. This restriction is akin to the existing prohibition against the sale of the Medal of Honor.
The bill would not interfere with those who manufacture the markers for sale, no those who happen to have them on their property. Families who own them would be able to sell them if they can provide some kind of documentation, such as a family letter or a signed affidavit. Let us honor these veterans and their families by making sure that we do not encourage or abet the trafficking in the symbols of these veterans' sacrifice."
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