Memorial Day - St. Anne’s Cemetery

Lt. Cdr. Ernest Wood, Jr.’s grave at St. Anne’s Cemetery. Photo by Denise Robinson

Did you know that St. Anne’s/Cedar Bluff Cemetery has seven WWI and ten WWII graves of men who died in service to our country during these wars? Some served in the Army and the Army Air Corp, others served in the Navy, and one was a Marine. Many had earned the Purple Heart and several had earned the Air Medal and the Bronze Star.

David Wood’s father, Lt. Cdr. Ernest Wood, Jr. earned the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross before he was “lost at sea” when his plane was shot down west of Guam. He had been the commander of the air group aboard the USS Princeton, which was sunk during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.  He is remembered by a cenotaph in the St. Anne’s section of our cemetery. The other men were brought home from France, England and the Aleutians after the wars at the request of their families. These families, who had been known as Blue Star Families to signify a family member serving in the war, sadly became Gold Star Families to signify that their loved-one had died.

Today the Eastport/Annapolis Legacy of Honor, headed by Denise Robinson, honors their sacrifice by preserving their legacy. She and her team will be placing flags on their graves for this Memorial Day, as they do each year. If you are looking for something meaningful to do that day, perhaps you would like to visit our cemetery and pay your respects to those who “gave their last full measure of devotion”.

Ginger DeLuca, Co-Chair, St. Anne’s Cemetery Committee