SNOW HILL — This month marks a historic moment for Greene County veterans.
The Greene County Veterans Cemetery had its first burial on Feb. 15, followed by a ceremonial opening Thursday by American Legion Post 536 Snow Hill.
Andrea Cobb of Goldsboro, the daughter of the late William Earl Cobb, a Vietnam veteran, said she is honored to have her father buried across the street from where he used to live.
“This right here means so much to me,” Andrea Cobb said, “because we didn’t have the ceremony with the gunshots. … So this right here tops it all. … I think this is an honor.”
William Earl Cobb is remembered by many Greene County folks as the man who sold collard greens and other vegetables almost daily in front of the Rosenwald Center for Cultural Enrichment.
His brother, David Lee Cobb Jr., thanked those who created the cemetery and said it stands as an honor to his great-great grandfather, a World War I veteran; his father, a World War II veteran; and his brother.
“On behalf of the Cobb family,” he said, “words of expression are not enough.”
Snow Hill resident Frank Warren donated about 3 acres of land on West Harper Street to Post 536. Warren said he hopes to find a building to place the property for the post to hold meetings.
“If we could find an old house to move,” he said, “we could probably raise the money so we could have a building on it.”
It was the vision of former Cmdr. John Lindsey, the post’s founder, to have a cemetery in Greene County for those who have served the country. He said the nearest veterans cemetery is in Jacksonville.
“This vision is great to me,” he said, “because I have built and seen a lot of our veterans here in Greene County that were not able to afford a decent place to bury. But this gives us a great opportunity for our veterans, the ones that served our country dearly … It’s a great honor to have a place in Greene County where they can be rested and be taken care of in a nice way.”
Snow Hill veteran Robert Britt was instrumental in diligently searching for a place for a veterans cemetery. His first endeavor was to request a town-owned piece of property behind Carolina Drive. When that didn’t pan out, he made a request to the county commissioners. Nothing materialized there, either.
Then Warren called Britt and said he had a piece of land to donate for all Greene County veterans. Attorney Bert Diener and Grant & Associates surveyors performed services without charge, and Snow Hill businessman, Buzz Shackelford provided landscaping services in honor of his father, Frank Shackelford, a World War II veteran who was present at the ceremony.
“The Lord has blessed us to have a cemetery here,” Britt said.
Any native Greene County veteran belonging to a post, no matter where they live now — and including non-native veterans of one of the local posts who reside in the county now — are qualified for burial in Greene’s veterans cemetery, Britt said.
“It’s important to Greene County because it’s something that we need,” Britt said.
JoAnn Stevens, president of Post 536 Women’s Auxiliary, honored Britt for his work in bringing the cemetery to fruition.
“This is a historic event,” she said. “Post 536 actually established this cemetery and this is history.”
Douglas Edwards, a Vietnam veteran in Post 536, said the cemetery provides a burial place without financial worries for those who gave of themselves for their country.
“It’s showing us that people care enough to help us to do this,” he said, “that we can have a place for our veterans for the sacrifice that we have made. … And also, it shows that our county and our town support our veterans.”
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.