For many decades Ocean View Cemetery, which is owned by the city of Astoria, has had an old rule of not allowing brass or bronze grave markers.

When my brother-in-law, a Korean War veteran, passed away in Longview, Wash., the American Legion there informed his family they could get a bronze plaque or a granite marker, inscribed with his life information free of charge. They chose the beautiful bronze plaque. Its a 17-pound 1-foot by 2-foot sculpture with the letters done in deep relief, and treated for low maintenance.

My brother Don passed away about six months ago, and my family decided to have his cremated ashes deposited over our father and mothers double graves at Ocean View Cemetery. The grave site has a large granite upright gravestone inscribed with a large Maki on one side and their personal information on the other side, facing the graves. 

The cemetery allows four urns to be deposited on each grave, so we planned to have a flat granite slab placed on top of the graves, with enough space for fastening three plaques Dons, and mine and our brother, Daves. 

We thought this plan would be convenient for our large extended family to visit the grave site without searching all over the cemetery. Also, it would make the cemetery staffs job easier, as they would be able to mow right over the site.

My brother, Don, was a decorated disabled World War II veteran who earned four battle stars for many bloody Pacific battles. He certainly deserves that beautiful bronze plaque, worth about $700. 

When the family ordered the plaque from the Veterans Administration, the VA was informed by Ocean View Cemetery that no brass or bronze was allowed because the salt air would deteriorate it within five years, so the VA sent a small granite stone instead. 

When I learned of this, I called the cemetery superintendent, and he repeated the same old disintegration story. I told him I was also a World War II veteran, who served on a couple of aircraft carriers that have hundreds of brass and bronze fixtures all over the ships. I saw none of the problems that the superintendent described. We had a lot of nasty weather, often with waves washing over the decks.

The reason Im writing this letter is to rally support from the citizens to have that bad rule changed, and let the survivors make their own choice of grave markers. 

Please call or write the mayor and the city councilors on this issue soon at City of Astoria, City Hall, 1095 Duane St., Astoria, OR 97103. They will have a meeting on this in the near future. Letters may also be sent to me at 372 Floral St., Astoria, OR 97103, and I will hand them to the mayor when we have the meeting. 

God bless all the veterans, and others, who have fought and sacrificed so much to keep us free. 

AL MAKI

Astoria