Jose Ramirez looks out across a vast expanse of grave markers at Roselawn Cemetery in Pueblo and readies himself for the challenge ahead: to locate, identify and map all the plots belonging to members of the armed forces.
A 25-year veteran of both the Army and Marines, Ramirez spent much of that time as a member of the special forces. He will not forget the pain and heartache of losing fellow service members.
While placing wreaths at the cemetery in Pueblo back in December, Ramirez learned that Roselawn did not know the exact number of veterans who were buried there. As a Next Chapter project manager at UCHealth Southern Region, and a Pueblo native, Ramirez decided it was time to help.
“It’s important for us to understand and know the history and sacrifice of our veterans and the brave service members who are laid to rest there,” Ramirez said. “We want to accurately mark these locations for family members and future generations. This project allows us to thank these vets for their service.”
As a partner in the Next Chapter program, which provides comprehensive behavioral health services to veterans and their families, UCHealth saw this effort as a way to engage and support the Pueblo community.
With this initiative, Ramirez hopes to adorn each veteran’s final resting place with a miniature U.S. flag every Memorial Day and a Wreaths Across America wreath each December, ensuring that these veterans continue to be honored and recognized.
“The outreach and help we have received from Jose and Next Chapter is absolutely fantastic,” says Ray Brown, grounds and facilities director for Roselawn.
Brown is also a veteran and stated that over 66,000 people are buried at Roselawn, some dating back to the 1870s.
“Roselawn cemetery does have a record of everyone buried there,” Brown explained. “But documenting the military status of everyone across our 125-acre property is something we cannot do on our own.”
Brown and Ramirez are seeking help from a few dozen volunteers in May to walk the cemetery in specific locations and use a special app to map out all veteran gravesites, possibly add in a photo of each one. Other volunteers will follow to input those locations into a GPS mapping system.
“The mapping software allows you to drop a pin, as far as where locations are, so it will give you a grid or a latitude-longitude location,” said Ramirez “You can take a picture and drop that picture onto that pin, so you have a marker for future reference. As new veterans are buried there, they can be added to the database.”
The dates that volunteers are needed are May 4 and May 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organizers are hopeful that 40-50 volunteers will be able to completely map the cemetery.
The head of the Next Chapter program hopes this opportunity to serve might even be a form of therapy for many veterans who are struggling with their separation from the military.
“Providing the veteran community in Pueblo the opportunity to come and help us allows them to continue to live the oath of service that we took when we joined the military,” added Damian McCabe, UCHealth Director of Behavioral Health and Military Affairs. “While Roselawn may be the first to receive the benefits of this massive mapping project, the hope is to move on to other cemeteries in southern Colorado to ensure that all veterans are identified and remembered.”
In addition to expansive services offered to members of the armed forces in El Paso and Pueblo counties, UCHealth leads and administers the Next Chapter program with multiple community partners. More information can be found on their website.