Restoring Honor: How One Monument Company Revived a Forgotten Veterans' Circle

In this inspiring episode of Monument Matters, host Mike Johns, Jr. speaks with Eric Gunnoe and Eden Griesheimer-Smith of Chillicothe Monument & Hardy Memorials about their Aspire Award-winning project: restoring Soldiers’ Circle, a veterans’ cemetery that hadn’t seen a cleanup since 1928. What began as a local observation turned into a major community effort, uniting nearly 100 volunteers to honor forgotten heroes. Eric and Eden share how they organized the event, uncovered meaningful veteran stories, and sparked renewed interest in memorialization. Their work exemplifies the spirit of MBNA’s Aspire Awards and serves as a blueprint for community impact through memorial care. Chapters (00:00:08) - Monument Matters(00:01:23) - Chillicothe Monument(00:04:04) - Member Interview(00:06:51) - Honoring Veterans: Memorial Day Cleanup(00:12:05) - Local volunteers clean graves at Greenlawn Cemetery(00:19:25) - Monument Matters: June 2017