Veterans Memorial Recovery Team a nonprofit 501(C)(3) is a volunteer Veteran and community group in Mobile, AL, dedicated to the restoration of Historic Oaklawn Cemetery. This effort was initiated in November 2017, VMRT has grown to include a large number of members of the Mobile and Oaklawn family community. In September 2018, Oaklawn Memorial Cemetery was officially registered as a historical cemetery by the Alabama Historical Commission Cemetery Program. The non-perpetual care 20-acre cemetery was completely overgrown and seemingly forgotten. Historical and burial information indicates that this cemetery was primarily serving the Mobile, Alabama, African American community, and others from all walks of life. Lacking historical records, one of our main goals is to create a formal record and memorial for all burials in Historic Oaklawn Cemetery, via this profile.

First, we salute our military Veterans who are buried here! This cemetery is recognized as having a large concentration of Veteran burials, beginning in the early 1930s. Veterans Memorial Recovery Team's purpose is to locate, document, clean, and place an American flag by each Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Coast Guardsman, Airman, and Merchant Marine, in recognition of their service to the community and nation. Additionally, as part of this effort, members of the restoration team are also surveying the cemetery, documenting all the headstones of those buried in the cemetery. The work to date has included significant efforts to clear grass, brush, trees, and trash from an area that has been technically abandoned for many years. The present count is 950+ Veterans and over 10,500 burials, with less than 50% having been documented. Operating under the Find A Grave rules for memorial ownership, Veterans Memorial Recovery Team will manage all memorials on behalf of the Veterans and families interred in Historic Oaklawn Cemetery. Immediate families of those buried here may request a transfer of memorials or submit updates to us for the memorials of their loved ones. Those who are not immediate family are welcome to offer suggestions for updates, as well.

Per Find A Grave rules, no images of obituaries or other copyrighted materials will be accepted or allowed on memorials owned/managed by our group, unless there is clear documented ownership and release information provided. Veterans Memorial Recovery Team welcomes and encourages the transfer of Find A Grave memorials of those interred in Historic Oaklawn to our management, so we can maintain such and create the needed records for the operation of this cemetery, its Veteran families, and those in the community who have loved ones buried here. We all greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness and kindness of all in the Find A Grave community who are able to help us with our goal of properly documenting and memorializing those Veterans who have served our state and nation and all our community members buried here. Through these efforts, we hope that the restoration will not only, in essence, bring the cemetery back to life, but also restore the communities, families, and memories connected with the cemetery. VETERANS MEMORIAL RECOVERY TEAM

Veterans Memorial Recovery Team a nonprofit 501(C)(3) is a volunteer Veteran and community group in Mobile, AL, dedicated to the restoration of Historic Oaklawn Cemetery. This effort was initiated in November 2017, VMRT has grown to include a large number of members of the Mobile and Oaklawn family community. In September 2018, Oaklawn Memorial Cemetery was officially registered as a historical cemetery by the Alabama Historical Commission Cemetery Program. The non-perpetual care 20-acre cemetery was completely overgrown and seemingly forgotten. Historical and burial information indicates that this cemetery was primarily serving the Mobile, Alabama, African American community, and others from all walks of life. Lacking historical records, one of our main goals is to create a formal record and memorial for all burials in Historic Oaklawn Cemetery, via this profile.

First, we salute our military Veterans who are buried here! This cemetery is recognized as having a large concentration of Veteran burials, beginning in the early 1930s. Veterans Memorial Recovery Team's purpose is to locate, document, clean, and place an American flag by each Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Coast Guardsman, Airman, and Merchant Marine, in recognition of their service to the community and nation. Additionally, as part of this effort, members of the restoration team are also surveying the cemetery, documenting all the headstones of those buried in the cemetery. The work to date has included significant efforts to clear grass, brush, trees, and trash from an area that has been technically abandoned for many years. The present count is 950+ Veterans and over 10,500 burials, with less than 50% having been documented. Operating under the Find A Grave rules for memorial ownership, Veterans Memorial Recovery Team will manage all memorials on behalf of the Veterans and families interred in Historic Oaklawn Cemetery. Immediate families of those buried here may request a transfer of memorials or submit updates to us for the memorials of their loved ones. Those who are not immediate family are welcome to offer suggestions for updates, as well.

Per Find A Grave rules, no images of obituaries or other copyrighted materials will be accepted or allowed on memorials owned/managed by our group, unless there is clear documented ownership and release information provided. Veterans Memorial Recovery Team welcomes and encourages the transfer of Find A Grave memorials of those interred in Historic Oaklawn to our management, so we can maintain such and create the needed records for the operation of this cemetery, its Veteran families, and those in the community who have loved ones buried here. We all greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness and kindness of all in the Find A Grave community who are able to help us with our goal of properly documenting and memorializing those Veterans who have served our state and nation and all our community members buried here. Through these efforts, we hope that the restoration will not only, in essence, bring the cemetery back to life, but also restore the communities, families, and memories connected with the cemetery. VETERANS MEMORIAL RECOVERY TEAM