Eagle Scout Marks Veterans' Graves at Amawalk Hill Cemetery

Boy Scouts Troop 164's newest Eagle Scout is Zach Abbate. He was recently presented with the highest award in scouting.

For his project, Zach researched cemetery records and gathered information from actual graves to create a written log of every veteran buried in the cemetery. After raising money from bake sales and donations, including a matching grant from the Amawalk Hill Cemetery Association, he purchased Veteran Markers with flags and holders. 

The boy organized and supervised the pouring of cement and placing of marker rods in approximately 350 soup containers with the help of 22 fellow scouts, family and friends. Although he experimented with cooking oil spray and flour, removal of the concrete bases from the soup container forms proved difficult. It required each one to be cut and chiseled out.

On a separate day, 31 scouts, family and friends descended on the Amawalk Cemetery to plant the grave markers at each of the previously identified gravesites. Under Zach's supervision, the process was completed in one day.

His Eagle Scout Project will serve to forever honor the nation's veterans by clearly marking and identifying veterans' graves for all visitors to the cemetery. Each marker will continue to have a flag placed in its holder an all Memorial Days by reverent scouts.

Yorktown councilman Vishnu Patel congratulated Abbate on behalf of the Yorktown town board and presented him with a certificate of achievement.

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