Saturday, October 17, 2026
Nine forgotten soldiers, buried in unmarked graves at Greenfield Cemetery, were finally honored — more than a century after their deaths.
The once-anonymous patches of grass belonged to Civil War veterans whose identities had been lost to time. Wayne Haddock, headstone coordinator of Moses Baldwin Camp and Philip Aguece a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War uncovered the names and stories behind the missing headstones.
An unmarked grave typically indicates a burial site without a visible marker, often due to a family’s financial hardship, a request for privacy or a cemetery’s own practices.
“We use an online site called Find A Grave, to locate veteran and we use obituaries and then cemetery records,” Haddock said. “What we do is try and locate the veterans, and then we work with Phil at Greenfield Cemetery to confirm that the veteran is actually interred — laid to rest— in the cemetery.”
Aguece works for the Town of Hempstead in the cemetery office, and would ask the employees there, “‘I’m trying to research this guy — these Civil War veterans,’” said Dennis Duffy, secretary of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
If the veteran was found to have no grave marker, Haddock and Aguece knew their work had only just begun. The process of honoring that veteran required an extensive amount of research and documentation.
First, the two researchers would dive deep into the veteran’s personal and military history, seeking out any available records that could confirm his service. This often involved combing through old military files, pension records and newspaper archives for additional details about the veteran’s life and military involvement.
Once they had gathered enough information, they would start assembling a comprehensive application for the Veterans Administration.
The application itself was no small task. It required not just the veteran’s military background but also a thorough examination of their burial records and cemetery information. This paperwork had to be meticulously prepared to meet the VA’s strict criteria for headstone issuance.
“After about roughly three months’ worth of research and work to prepare the applications, the approval process can take up to eight weeks, “Haddock said. “Once it’s approved, it takes anywhere from four to six weeks to have the headstone fabricated and delivered to the cemetery.”
“There was a newspaper article sometime in the 1920s by a local Long Island newspaper — an obituary for a Civil War veteran who was part of the GAR,” said Duffy, referring to the Grand Army of the Republic. “It also said it is believed that almost 200 Civil War veterans are buried in Greenfield.”
The GAR was a prominent fraternal organization for Union veterans after the war, similar to the American Legion of today. Greenfield Cemetery has a designated section known as the GAR plot, where many of those veterans are buried together — and it’s where the weekend’s ceremony took place.
On the burial card, it will note, GAR which most of the records will designate whether the person was a veteran or not.
“They’re all spread out amongst the cemetery, there is a specific location called the GAR plot, a section set aside for Civil War veterans” said Haddock. “That’s where we had the ceremony — right there in the GAR plot, where most veterans are burries. But many of the rest are buried in their own personal family plots throughout the cemetery.”
Though the Civil War may feel distant, it took place just 160 years ago, during one of the most divided times in American history. The war centered on slavery but was also fueled by states’ rights, economic tensions between the North and South, and the broader battle over federal versus state authority — all determining whether the country would remain whole.
Greenfield’s cemetery records helped fill in some of the blanks. “They’re not perfect, but pretty good,” Duffy said. “They write down on burial records if someone was a Civil War veteran or not.”
The ceremony
On June 7, the Daughters of Union veterans of the civil war joined the ceremony with Uniondale High School Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program provided the color guard, Toniann Butler from Lynbrook sang the National Anthem and the New York Infantry fired the military volleys —involves a firing party usually three to seven firing blank cartridges signifying the completion of the service and their readiness to resume duty. Town Deputy Supervisor Dorothy Goosby attended as well.
“The color guard is basically, they come out with the two flags, which is the U.S. national flag, and then our unit flag, which is representing Uniondale High School JROTC,” said Maj. Anthony Telesca, the senior army instructor who helps oversee the district’s Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.
The color guard follows rules. Two rifle bearers stand at each end of the flag, presenting arms in unison.
The unit flag was lowered while the tall American flag stayed steady — a symbol of unwavering respect. “Every movement and word have its place,” Telesca said. “Nothing is done casually.”
Each student received a certificate of honor and appreciation from the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War.
Once the color guard walk up to the podium — the national anthem began.
“Some family members will be there, that is so satisfying,” said Duffy. “To link somebody to type of family history.”
“This ceremony follows the original Grand Army of the Republic, the funeral dedication from when the original veterans died,” Haddock said.
By STACY DRIKS
sdriks@liherald.com
Nine forgotten soldiers, buried in unmarked graves at Greenfield Cemetery, were finally honored — more than a century after their deaths.
The once-anonymous patches of grass belonged to Civil War veterans whose identities had been lost to time. Wayne Haddock, headstone coordinator of Moses Baldwin Camp and Philip Aguece a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War uncovered the names and stories behind the missing headstones.
An unmarked grave typically indicates a burial site without a visible marker, often due to a family’s financial hardship, a request for privacy or a cemetery’s own practices.
“We use an online site called Find A Grave, to locate veteran and we use obituaries and then cemetery records,” Haddock said. “What we do is try and locate the veterans, and then we work with Phil at Greenfield Cemetery to confirm that the veteran is actually interred — laid to rest— in the cemetery.”
Aguece works for the Town of Hempstead in the cemetery office, and would ask the employees there, “‘I’m trying to research this guy — these Civil War veterans,’” said Dennis Duffy, secretary of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
If the veteran was found to have no grave marker, Haddock and Aguece knew their work had only just begun. The process of honoring that veteran required an extensive amount of research and documentation.
First, the two researchers would dive deep into the veteran’s personal and military history, seeking out any available records that could confirm his service. This often involved combing through old military files, pension records and newspaper archives for additional details about the veteran’s life and military involvement.
Once they had gathered enough information, they would start assembling a comprehensive application for the Veterans Administration.
The application itself was no small task. It required not just the veteran’s military background but also a thorough examination of their burial records and cemetery information. This paperwork had to be meticulously prepared to meet the VA’s strict criteria for headstone issuance.
“After about roughly three months’ worth of research and work to prepare the applications, the approval process can take up to eight weeks, “Haddock said. “Once it’s approved, it takes anywhere from four to six weeks to have the headstone fabricated and delivered to the cemetery.”
“There was a newspaper article sometime in the 1920s by a local Long Island newspaper — an obituary for a Civil War veteran who was part of the GAR,” said Duffy, referring to the Grand Army of the Republic. “It also said it is believed that almost 200 Civil War veterans are buried in Greenfield.”
The GAR was a prominent fraternal organization for Union veterans after the war, similar to the American Legion of today. Greenfield Cemetery has a designated section known as the GAR plot, where many of those veterans are buried together — and it’s where the weekend’s ceremony took place.
On the burial card, it will note, GAR which most of the records will designate whether the person was a veteran or not.
“They’re all spread out amongst the cemetery, there is a specific location called the GAR plot, a section set aside for Civil War veterans” said Haddock. “That’s where we had the ceremony — right there in the GAR plot, where most veterans are burries. But many of the rest are buried in their own personal family plots throughout the cemetery.”
Though the Civil War may feel distant, it took place just 160 years ago, during one of the most divided times in American history. The war centered on slavery but was also fueled by states’ rights, economic tensions between the North and South, and the broader battle over federal versus state authority — all determining whether the country would remain whole.
Greenfield’s cemetery records helped fill in some of the blanks. “They’re not perfect, but pretty good,” Duffy said. “They write down on burial records if someone was a Civil War veteran or not.”
The ceremony
On June 7, the Daughters of Union veterans of the civil war joined the ceremony with Uniondale High School Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program provided the color guard, Toniann Butler from Lynbrook sang the National Anthem and the New York Infantry fired the military volleys —involves a firing party usually three to seven firing blank cartridges signifying the completion of the service and their readiness to resume duty. Town Deputy Supervisor Dorothy Goosby attended as well.
“The color guard is basically, they come out with the two flags, which is the U.S. national flag, and then our unit flag, which is representing Uniondale High School JROTC,” said Maj. Anthony Telesca, the senior army instructor who helps oversee the district’s Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.
The color guard follows rules. Two rifle bearers stand at each end of the flag, presenting arms in unison.
The unit flag was lowered while the tall American flag stayed steady — a symbol of unwavering respect. “Every movement and word have its place,” Telesca said. “Nothing is done casually.”
Each student received a certificate of honor and appreciation from the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War.
Once the color guard walk up to the podium — the national anthem began.
“Some family members will be there, that is so satisfying,” said Duffy. “To link somebody to type of family history.”
“This ceremony follows the original Grand Army of the Republic, the funeral dedication from when the original veterans died,” Haddock said.
