OR Guard Unit Restored Veteran Graves at Historic Medford IOOF Cemetery
An Oregon Army National Guard Unit restored veteran graves at an historic Medford Cemetery earlier this month.
Soldiers from Hotel Company, 141st Support Battalion, attached to the 1-186th Infantry Battalion, spent part of their drill weekend cleaning veteran gravesites at the historic Eastwood Cemetery on April 13th.
Twenty-seven Oregon Army National Guard soldiers from H Company, which drills out of the Medford Armory, joined by Southern Oregon University ROTC cadets, partnered with Medford Parks and Recreation to restore weathered headstones at the one of the city's oldest cemeteries.
Established in 1890 by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), the cemetery was sold to the City of Medford in the 1970s when the organization could no longer maintain it. Today, it is managed by Medford Parks and Rec.
Soldiers worked in groups of four, cleaning moss and dirt from headstones and removing weeds from around grave makers. Many of the sites they restored belonged to veterans.
Tyson Thompson, volunteer coordinator with Medford Parks and Recreation, organized the event and called the military presence "a tremendous help."
Posted on 4/24/25 6:19AM by Sam Marsh
