<div class="image-200">
<a href="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources/us_owns_phl_cemetery.webp" rel="lightbox" 
onmouseover="this.title=''"
onmousedown="this.title='At Clark Veterans Cemetery, the bright white tombstones in the foreground have just been cleaned under a new project that is being funded through donations.'">
<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources/us_owns_phl_cemetery.webp"  alt="US Takes Ownership of Forgotten Philippines Cemetery" />
</a>
<div>
(At Clark Veterans Cemetery, the bright white tombstones in the foreground have just been cleaned under a new project that is being funded through donations.)
</div>
</div>
<p> 
The ground of the Clark Veterans Cemetery is spongy under the brown, crunchy grass.
</p>
<p>
Retired Army First Sergeant John Gilbert says this is because of the thick layer of gray lahar and ash that settled after nearby Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991.
</p>



<p>
“As soon as the rainy season ends it just turns to dust,” he explains, adding there's no money for a sprinkler system.  "Yeah, that’s always been a desire ... Here’s another one that’s pretty low,” Gilbert adds.
 </p>
<p>
Gilbert points to a mildew-streaked gravestone peeking out of the ground. There are more than 8,600 markers here, many badly worn down, on this eight-hectare property near a major intersection.
 </p>
<p>
Gilbert heads a group of volunteers at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2485 near what used to be Clark U.S. Air Force Base about 100 kilometers north of Manila.  Since 1994, the VFW Post has maintained the cemetery while still holding burials.
 </p>
<p>
“About the only thing we’ve been able to do is keep it presentable," he says. "So we’re excited about the changeover.”
 </p>
