October is designated as the Jimmy Carter Month of Service and as that time approached in the fall of 2025, the District 8 Democrats contemplated a service project for their group. Co-chair Lorraine Jacques explored different options and, along with Co-chair Dean Lowry, settled on a project to identify and decorate veterans’ graves in the Anderson-Gouffon Cemetery off Tazewell Pike in Knox County.

Lorraine searched the Find-A-Grave website to find veterans buried there. The District 8 Democrats then walked through the cemetery to be sure that all the veterans were identified, finding a total of 37 graves, one dating from the Revolutionary War!

The Veterans Heritage Site Foundation/Wreaths Across America lent flags, and on a Sunday afternoon in early November, members of our group placed the flags at the graves.

Then, on Saturday, May 16, the group returned to Anderson-Gouffon to place flags on the veterans’ graves. In addition, they went to Trentville Cemetery, where they had identified over 120 veteran graves, some dating back to World War I.

The flags will fly over the graves until the Fourth of July.

Patti Cristil said, “With flags in hand, we were able to show our respect and thanks to the service men and women of our district in Knox County! “

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