As a nation, Americans show utmost respect for the military men and women who fight for our country and our freedom. The need of paying respect to these service officers grows even bigger on Memorial Day, the day when we remember those who lost their life for the country.
People now found a unique way to pay their tribute to the fallen soldiers by placing coins on their tombstones. So in case you see any, please don’t touch them, but put one yourself.
The coins serve the purpose of the soldiers’ families to know that someone had visited the grave and is thankful for the sacrifice their loved ones made.
The value of the coins depends on how close the person visiting the grave was to the fallen soldier. Seeing those shiny coins means the world to the families because they know people still remember the brave servicemen and women who we own our freedom to.
This is both emotional and comforting.
If you see a penny, it means the person who placed it only wanted to thank a fallen soldier whom he or she never met. Nickels shows that the deceased person and the one visiting the grave were at boot camp together. Dimes stand for soldiers who worked together, and quarters means the person was present when the soldier died.
From time to time, cemetery workers collect the money which are later used to pay for the burial costs of veterans.
Dave Taylor, a Vietnam War veteran, never misses a chance to place coins on the tombstones of his fellow combat friends. He feels like that way he’s keeping the memory of the deceased military members alive.
“It’s a story about life, about sacrifice, and about remembrance,” said Taylor.
