Heroes Walk, Riverside Cemetery

Waterbury, Connecticut  

The Heroes Walk was a guided tour of the 36 acre cemetery, visiting the graves of 21 veterens.  A guide distributed note cards to 21 of the visitors and small floral bouquets to another 21. At each grave site one of the visitors read the name, rank, and regiment of the veteran and the guide read a short biography—date of birth, service record, sometimes a letter to or from him. Then another visitor placed the flowers at the grave. The cememtery was built in 1855 and the oldest graves were from the civil war.  All of the veterans had died while in service, though not necessarily in combat. Some died of disease, and several of starvation in prison camps. The most recent served in Afganistan and Iraq. He was killed "by a single shot to the head, from his own service weapon." The guide then spoke about PTSD, how the Romans knew it by a different name, and that help is available from the VA and others. He said the young Marine was a patriot and should be remembered as that.

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