Marathon Pundit: Michigan: Volunteers mow 2-feet high grass in veterans' section of city-owned cemetery

Veteran's grave in Skokie, Illinois

I'm delighted by the way some Michiganders responded to the neglect of graves in a veterans' section of a Saginaw municipal cemetery, but it's still shameful they had to do so.

From MLive:

Todd Chicora spent four hours of his Memorial Day, and his wedding anniversary, outside in 80-degree heat, pushing a lawnmower through long grass at Saginaw's Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Chicora, of Bridgeport, is one of many who responded when those coming to visit the graves of loved ones and veterans on Monday, May 26, came upon a sight that Chicora called "atrocious."

He said the grass in some areas of the city-managed cemetery was 2 feet high.

His father, Joseph S. Chicora, is a veteran buried on the edge of the military section, though the family struggled to find his tombstone.

"You don't treat vets like this, Chicora said.

Besides Chicora, a family dropped their Memorial Day plans to mow and weed at Forest Lawn. Today, MLive reports, there was a flurry of activity to get the grass under control throughout the cemetery.

Saginaw's director of public services is blaming budget cuts and a wet spring for the cemetery debacle, but why didn't he see this debacle coming?

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