Mount Olivet Cemetery ceremony honors veterans entombed at mausoleum complex

Yahoo

27-05-2025

Musket fire boomed behind the mausoleums at Mount Olivet Cemetery on Monday.
Members of the Maryland State Society of Sons of the American Revolution pulled paper cartridges without projectiles from their leather, hip-mounted cartridge boxes to pour the powder down the barrel.
The three-volley salute — a tradition at military funerals — rang out as part of an event that honored the 160 veterans entombed in the mausoleum complex at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick.
All 160 names were read out by members of the Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War.
Members of the organizations that hosted the Memorial Day commemoration and wreath-laying ceremony spoke about the sacrifices of soldiers and presented the colors in the mausoleum, which was enveloped in light from windows on all sides.
The event also featured readings of Abraham Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Bixby and of "In Flanders Field," a poem inspired by a veteran attending the funeral of a friend who died during the first World War.
The poem references red poppies in the titular fields, which have since become a memorial symbol for those who died at war.
The annual event began in 2014 to recognize those entombed in the mausoleums at the cemetery, rather than buried in the ground.
Elizabeth Deering, regent of the Maryland State Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, said the idea came to her when she noticed the American Legion was only laying wreaths on tombstones.
Deering's father, Ira Henry Gardner, served the Army as a radio technician during World War II in the Pacific Theater.
Gardner is entombed in a mausoleum at Mount Olivet. His was one of the 160 names read aloud on Monday.
Deering said she recognized that her father, like many other veterans, were not receiving the same recognition for their service as those buried in the ground for their final resting place.
"That was the real catalyst," she said. "On Memorial Day, I realized my father wasn't being honored."
The annual event started with just the Daughters of the American Revolution, but has since grown to include state and national chapters of the Sons of the American Revolution, as well as the Antietam Camp #3 of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War.
Deering said they now have a "good partnership" with the American Legion to ensure all veterans at Mount Olivet Cemetery are recognized on Memorial Days.
"It makes my heart sing to watch this grow," she said. "We're very proud we are able to honor our veterans."
Deering added that such events are in line with the goals of the DAR as one of the largest women's service organizations dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism.
She said organizing the event shows that DAR is more than about dressing up, but actually getting "in the trenches" to "serve our communities."
Shane Shanholtz, from Frederick, attended wearing an American flag-themed Hawaiian shirt and U.S.A. hat.
Shanholtz said his wife, Melinda Shanholtz, is part of the DAR, but they would anyway "because we're patriotic."
He said the musket fire was one of his favorite parts of the event, though he also enjoys the camaraderie and the songs.
Ruth Parmerlee, a member of the Frederick Chapter of the DAR, led the attendees in singing both "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Francis Scott Key — who wrote the words that became the national anthem — is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Shanholtz said he "couldn't imagine" the harrowing scene in which American troops defended the Baltimore harbor from the British Navy during the War of 1812, which inspired the song.
Parmerlee's husband, David Parmerlee, was a veteran of the war in Vietnam and died in January 2023.
He was awarded a bronze star for his work to help improve communications between troops deployed in Vietnam and the U.S.
Ruth Parmerlee said she thought about him when raising the flag to half-mast on Monday at the home and 10-acre farm they shared in Keymar — an unincorporated community in Carroll County that derives its name from the man who penned the national anthem.
She said events like that on Monday or getting to sing songs in Normandy, France, or at Pearl Harbor have helped her commemorate history, while also mourning the loss of her husband.
Though David is buried in his hometown of Edinburgh, Indiana, Ruth said she enjoys being able to honor him and other veterans in the shadow of the Catoctin Mountains that they cherished.
"I just love the people here in Frederick," she said.