Marty Walsh: “not very far from the Capitol in Southeast Washington sits the historic Congressional Cemetery. The name is somewhat…”

“not very far from the Capitol in Southeast Washington sits the historic Congressional Cemetery. The name is somewhat misleading, since the cemetery itself is not affiliated with the U.S. Congress. However, there are over 60,000 interments there, including America's ``March King,'' John Philip Sousa; former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover; Native Americans; military leaders; and over 50 former Members of Congress. Over the years, the cemetery has fallen into disrepair. It was in need of a thorough cleanup, and under the leadership of our own Jim Oliver from the Cloakroom, who also heads the Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery, the project was undertaken last month. It would be impossible to name the hundreds of volunteers, but special praise goes to Air Force M. Sgt. Thomas Williams and Sgt. Dave Lutzow, both stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, who saw a program on the History Channel listing the cemetery as an endangered national treasure. Also, our former colleague, Bill Carney of New York, deserves great praise. It was a terrific effort but more needs to be done. We have to find a way to provide for permanent care and maintenance of this treasure. It is truly historic and of national significance.”