Caden Ritchie (17) is a Scout in Troop 899, whose meetings take place at Pohick Church. In addition to being a Scout, Caden is an active World War II reenactor and collector of military memorabilia, both of which contributed to his interest in the project.
The Eagle Scout project consisted of two phases, both aimed at honoring the veterans buried in the Church's cemetery. Caden and his team were tasked with researching an initial number of deceased veterans, which would kickstart the long term research of all the veterans. The team conducted an interview day, where information was collected via both online records and virtual interviews with the families of the veterans. This is how many of the great stories and pictures were acquired. Next, Caden compiled the information into the profiles seen on this site, which would give visitors in the cemetery a brief overview of the veteran's service. Caden's site was then placed onto the Church's website, and QR code signage allowing visitors to read the profiles was placed at the entrance of the cemetery by the Church.
The second phase of the project was a display set up at the Church's Fall Festival, which culminated and drew attention to the project. Caden organized a series of living history and military artifact displays, many of the items coming from his personal collection. Some of the displays included Spanish-American War Signal Corps, WWII US Infantry, and a WWII Glider Pilot. These displays showed to the public what the veterans in the cemetery may have worn and used during their time in the military. Throughout the day, Caden, his team of volunteer Scouts, and the other reenactors talked to visitors at the festival about military history and the significance of the project.
The Eagle Project was just the start of researching veterans in Pohick Church's cemetery. As more families are interviewed and more research is undertaken, more veterans and updated information will be added to the website.