Navy veteran on a mission to restore military gravestones

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Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Veteran on a mission to restore military gravestones
Kelly and Ryan talk to the Navy veteran on 'Live'

NEW YORK -- As part of Live's ongoing "Good News Story of the Day" series, Kelly and Ryan turned the spotlight on a Navy veteran who has made it his mission to clean and restore headstones of service members.

Trae Zipperer of Ft. Myers, Florida says this mission began as a personal journey to connect with his daughter and American history.

He started out by tracing his family's roots, which pre-date the American Revolution. He learned that he had dozens of family members who fought in the Revolution and on both sides during the Civil War.

As he set out to find the graves of these family members, Zipperer discovered gravestones in a terrible state. So began his mission to clean and restore thousands of military gravestones across the country.

Watch the full interview from 'Live with Kelly and Ryan' in the player above.