Military veterans deserve a dignified and well-kept resting place. Residents across Cumberland County are hard at work to make that possible at the Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, which has traveled a long way to get to where it is now — and has further to go still. 

The Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake is one of four state veterans’ cemeteries across North Carolina. It has long been the focus of military families, state representatives, and many other residents who have advocated for better maintenance of the grounds and buildings to provide a proper resting site for those who have served. 

Triangle newspaper The News & Observer previously reported on the state of disrepair that these cemeteries have been in for many years, claiming that Sandhills suffered the most from lack of upkeep. Ongoing concerns include a lack of adequate funding and a lack of enough staff members to tend to the grounds.

Archie Barringer, a retired Army chaplain who’s served at thousands of funerals over 25 years, most of them at the Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, states that although the cemetery has been looking better in recent years, there’s still room for overall improvement, especially concerning allocation of funds and the services that the cemetery could offer.

“I do know that the funds go through the Cumberland Community Foundation, and I would assume that accountability is through the director down there as well as the director at the state veterans’ cemetery,” Barringer said. “I would certainly hope that the division of state veterans’ cemeteries in Raleigh would play a part in that and would also be involved in the accountability.”

Barringer suggests that patriotic services and programs, centered around holidays like Veterans Day and Memorial Day, would go a long way toward making the general public aware of what needs to be done to care for the cemetery and getting people involved through volunteering. 

“Here we are right next to, across the road from, the premier military installation in the world, and of all places, our state veteran cemetery there in Spring Lake — as well as others, for that matter — should be paramount whenever it comes to the upkeep, just like Arlington would be,” Barringer said. “With my interest in veterans and their families, I see a need. Somebody’s got to step up, so I see a need to do that.”

Barringer has been the visionary for the chapel at Sandhills. Back in 2011, the area was just a concrete slab with a Sunday school podium. He worked with others to raise money to build a chapel with AC, heating and seating; the chapel is used for graveside services.

Diane Wheatley, representative of District 43 and member of the House of Representatives’ Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, has also advocated for ways for the general public to take part and volunteer at the cemetery, but this idea was shot down by previous management at Sandhills due to potential liability issues. Ensuring that they have the relevant insurance to cover these liabilities, along with partnering with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in Raleigh, would assist with establishing a program that would allow outside groups — like Scouting America and ROTC — to contribute to upkeep, according to Wheatley.

While volunteering is not yet an option, one primary concern is employing enough staff members to do this work. 

“The biggest thing is making sure that they have the funding to hire the manpower that’s needed to maintain cemeteries,” said Wheatley.

There are currently no official fundraising efforts specifically for cemetery maintenance, but Barringer says that residents can contribute gifts to the Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery Project Fund at the Cumberland Community Foundation. 

“Any further contributions that they can make will go into that fund, which is still open at the Cumberland Community Foundation, for the general upkeep and maintenance of the cemetery,” Barringer said.

Mary M. Holmes, president and CEO of the Cumberland Community Foundation, also said that people can send donations that will benefit Sandhills as long as they’re clearly marked for the purpose of the maintenance and preservation of the cemetery. Donate by visiting their dedicated webpage at https://cumberlandcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1790. 

Wheatley previously sponsored two bills, H178 and H36, for maintaining state veterans’ cemeteries, which called for actions such as fixing damaged headstones and graves, addressing flooding and drainage issues, and filling bare patches in the grass. Her efforts have helped secure $300,000 for upkeep of the grounds and put in motion improvements to the grasses, the sprinkler system and the overall cleanliness.

“Just making sure that we keep this cemetery as pristine and beautiful as possible, so I see a lot of that happening,” Wheatley said. “It’ll be a continuous effort, and I think we’re just going to have to keep working on all of these issues.”

Residents across Cumberland County can get involved by contacting their representatives to voice their thoughts about management of the cemetery and supporting bills in state legislature that help secure state cemetery funding.

Another way to keep the Sandhills cemetery at the front of minds and hearts is by supporting Wreaths Across America, which Barringer and Wheatley have both participated in. Each holiday season, the nonprofit organization aims to raise enough funds to place a wreath on every veteran’s grave at numerous locations across the U.S., including Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery.

The wreaths are placed during a ceremony traditionally held on the second or third Saturday in December. This year’s ceremony for Sandhills will be on Saturday, Dec. 19 at noon at 8220 Bragg Blvd. More than just adding beauty, the wreaths’ 10 balsam bouquets symbolize various characteristics that veterans exhibit daily, including optimism, ambition, love and strength. 

Sponsorship for one wreath is $17; view the official Wreaths Across America chapter page for Sandhills and sponsor a wreath at https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/16700/Overview/. 

Over 3,000 wreaths have been sponsored so far. The goal is to reach 9,000 so that every veteran’s grave will be covered. Last year, they fell significantly short of this amount.

To help encourage more donations, Legends Pub, a bar on 4624 Bragg Blvd., is hosting an Oktoberfest get-together enabling people to buy wreaths and donate funds. The event has been arranged by Paige Willard Slider from Wreaths Across America Sandhills, a committee of eight members that works under the larger organization. The location coordinators procuring wreaths for the Sandhills cemetery are Ann Provencher and Barbara Younker.

For Willard Slider, her motivation to serve veterans comes from a personal connection to the military. 

“For myself personally, both of my parents are buried in the cemetery,” she said. 

After her mother passed away in 2010, her father worked with the cemetery to facilitate improvements such as creating a more comfortable sanctuary and putting up a memorial honoring each branch of the military. 

“Once he passed away, I felt it was very important to myself to continue the mission with Sandhills.”

The Oktoberfest event will take place at Legends Pub on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. An auction will be held to collect donations, so bring an item you’re willing to part with if you want to participate. Wreaths will also be sold on-site.

“We also will have the directory, an online directory. If someone has a loved one buried at the cemetery, we can look up their grave site, go ahead and fill out a form so we know that that veteran or family member has their wreath on their grave site for the holidays specifically," Willard Slider said.

Additionally, if Sandhills exceeds the goal amount this year, extra wreaths will be taken to the Fort Bragg Main Post Cemetery.

Other things to look forward to at Legends Pub are a live DJ, German food and drink, and a 50/50 raffle. Attendees can participate in a no-bike poker run by visiting stations set up at Legends Pub; the person with the best hand wins. Collaborating with the local bar and offering people a good time is the committee’s hopeful aim for getting the word out to as many people as possible.

“Our fundraising efforts didn’t prove as lucrative as they have in the past,” Willard Slider said of last year’s wreath shortage. “That’s what kind of lit a fire for us to start looking at different means to raise funds.”

Wreaths Across America adopts a theme each year, and “Remember Me” has set the tone for 2026. Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the U.S., the phrase calls for us to remember not only the efforts of the collective U.S. military, but each individual life and their sacrifices.

If you want to get involved beyond monetary contributions, register to volunteer for the wreath-laying ceremony on Dec. 19 on the Wreaths Across America website at https://wreathsacrossamerica.us/GetInvolved/PlaceWreaths. 

Stay updated on Wreaths Across America Sandhills and their progress by following the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WAASandhills.

(Photo: State Representative Diane Wheatley, left, and Archie Barringer, a retired Army chaplain, post at Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery. The two have been working to get funding for the cemetery's upkeep. Photo courtesy of Bill Bowman)