Why You May See Coins on Graves in Louisville For Memorial Day
Every year the Cave Hill Cemetery invites the public to their annual VFW Memorial Day Service. If you go this year, keep your eyes open for these very special coins.
This year’s ceremony will take place on Monday, May 25 at 11 a.m. As you walk around, you’ll notice that each of the over 6,000 gravesites has been decorated with a single U.S. flag. Those were placed there by volunteers on Friday, May 22.
Look a little bit closer and you may notice coins on some of the headstones, too. Why are they there? According to Snopes, leaving coins on gravestones at cemeteries, especially ones that are the final resting place for so many American service members, is a way of communicating that someone has stopped by to pay their respects. Each coin means something a little bit different.
- Penny: Means someone visited to pay respect
- Nickel: Symbolizes that the visitor went to boot camp with the fallen soldier
- Dime: Represents the visitor having served with the fallen soldier
- Quarter: Means that the visitor was present when the soldier was killed.
You may also see coins that aren’t your typical U.S. currency placed on military graves. These are often challenge coins representing a specific branch, unit or mission.
So what happens to all of those coins? If they’re left in a national or state veterans’ cemeteries, they’re usually collected and put toward either the burial costs for needy veterans or upkeep of the facility.