UNIONVILLE: Flag thieves and groundhogs at the cemetery

Elsewhere in this column, you can read about the wonderful cemetery cleanup done by some Boy Scouts this past week. Now here's the exact opposite story: for the second time in recent weeks, flags have been stolen from veterans' graves at the Unionville Cemetery.
Norman Diem, president of the Unionville Cemetery Association, said the thieves have been pulling the wooden staffs out of their metal holders that indicate which war the veteran served in. They then remove the stapled-on flag and stuff the staffs down a nearby hole.
He said about 20 flags have been taken, all from the oldest part of the cemetery (the first burial was in 1847).
He said he hopes the thieves are just bored teens but worries that the situation could worsen.
"My fear is they might push the stones over," he said.
Mr. Diem, a veteran himself, said he is troubled by the lack of respect shown for the dead.
He said he will continue to replace the stolen flags, which are donated by the American Legion.
Mr. Diem said he has contacted the East Marlborough Township police as well as the cemetery lot holders. He is also asking residents to help him keep an eye on the graveyard by glancing over when they drive by or stop in at the post office.
"They can always call me if they see something," he said (610-444-1376).
In addition to the flag thieves, the other vandals at the cemetery have been groundhogs, which have been tunneling deeply under some of the stones, putting the monuments at risk for toppling over. Mr. Diem said he has caught two groundhogs so far ("one big, one small") in a trap and has relocated
them.
Civil War veteran William Sheward, who died in 1865, has had his resting spot disturbed by both the flag thieves and the groundhogs. In this photo you can see the metal GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) marker, minus the flag, on the right side of his tombstone, along with the bare staff. And the groundhogs have tunneled completely under the stone.