Gone but not forgotten

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chase Hedrick
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Behind an iron gate, hidden under tall grass and tucked away deep inside the walls of Columbus Air Force Base lies a one-half acre plot of land filled with weatherworn headstones and unmarked graves.

Many people over the years have watched over this piece of Mississippi history known as the Greer-Rush-Nelson Burying Ground, that isn't even technically part of Columbus AFB.

The most recent person to care for this quiet cemetery was Larry Caldwell, 14th Mission Support Group logistics readiness division deputy. Using his personal tools Mr. Caldwell took on the weeds, brush, and southern heat to restore the resting place of the 51 people buried there.

"These people were part of the history of this area and they deserve the respect of having the places they were buried," said Mr. Caldwell.

Dr. Doris Crusoe, 14th Flying Training Wing Historian stated that the cemetery has been moved on two separate occasions to facilitate runway construction. First, the Army Corps of Engineers moved Greer-Rush-Nelson Burying Ground in 1942 to build a runway for the newly established CAFB. In 1955, the cemetery was relocated again to support the new mission of the base as a Strategic Air Command, which required building a northwest southwest runway.

The graveyard is the only piece of land on base not owned by the federal government, and as such cannot be maintained with base resources. Because of this the site depends on the actions of volunteers such as Mr. Caldwell to help keep from fading into the past.