Tuesday, June 19, 2012

How to Set a Veterans Memorial Plaque

By Adelaide Damoah

If you know that an unmarked grave is the final resting place of a war veteran and that veteran is eligible, you can apply for a free Veterans Memorial Plaque which will be shipped to anywhere in the world. The plaques must be permanently fixed to the grave site. The gravestone is considered unmarked if it does not have the name, date of birth and/or year of death clearly marked on it. You must make the application to the United States Veterans Administration, also known as the VA. The process of actually setting the plaque in place on a gravestone needs some knowledge of how to work a power drill.

Speak to someone at the cemetery first to find out if there are any pending applications for the gravestone in question. Make a note of the contact details and address of the cemetery.

Get a copy of the discharge certificate form of the deceased. This information is a record of the military service of the deceased and needs to be sent with the application form.

Contact the VA to request the VA Form 40-1330, application for Standard Government Headstone or Marker. Use the cemetery contact details to help you complete the form. Ask a cemetery official to fill in his section of the form. Fill in the rest of the details, make photocopies for your records and and send the form back to the address supplied.

Contact the cemetery to find out who is authorized to set gravestones. Some cemeteries only allow authorized personnel to set gravestones and may charge a fee to use their own personnel.

Ask the cemetery for permission to install the plaque if no professional is required.

Screw the mounting bolts of the plaque into the back of the plaque and hand tighten them, taking care not to over tighten. Mark the part of the stone where you want to set the plaque with permanent marker. Use the marker to highlight the points where you will drill the holes needed for the bolts. Measure the mounting bolts to ensure that they are not longer than the width of the headstone; otherwise they will stick out at the back.

Measure your masonry bit to ensure that it is slightly larger than your mounting bolts. Attach the masonry bit to the drill and drill the holes that you marked with the permanent marker. Use a cloth to clean away the dust and debris.

Wear protective gloves. Put a generous amount of construction glue on the mounting bolts and some inside the holes that you drilled in the headstone. Mount the plaque on the headstone lining up the mounting bolts with the holes. Hold the plaque in place for 60 seconds.

Clean the area of any residue and dust and wait for a further 30 minutes to ensure that the glue has set.


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