Fort Bragg Geocache

A strange thing happened on the way Fort Bragg ...

While Geocaching in Fort Bragg, Calfornia, in the Summer of 2010, we came upon our first "First Time Find".  The cache reads:

This cache is in a cemetery, so please be respectful of the graves and don't tamper with them, the cache is not in or very near one. 

This cache was named this way because we were originally intending to place it near the grave of Ettore, an Italian child who died very young. In order to honor him, we called it geo-Nascondiglio, Nascondiglio is actually the word "cache" in Italian. However, due to the cache saturation rule, we had to place the cache farther away from Ettore's grave because it is quite close to two other caches.

The red stones in this cache encourage you to follow the ancient tradition of remembering those who have passed.  Take a single stone if you wish and place it on the headstone of a loved one or friend-- or a stranger whose headstone beckons you to remember.
 

We signed the log:

 Found it

OUR FIRST FTF ! Thanks we were really excited to find this...our daughter of three left a stone in the middle of a flower at one of the headstones. Thanks for the cache.. We took the TB and left several pieces of Swag....

 

We took the red stones to mark graves of some of those we wanted to remember.  My daughter, age 3 at the time, selected the graves.  She selected three,  pictured below, and placed the stones.

As for our daughter, she has yet to fell the death of a loved one.  She loves cemetery caches and calls them her gardens.  She runs about freshening up flowers and talking about he headstones.  We stated her geocaching young and maybe this has changed her perception.  I always watch her and feel she adds a bit of light to an otherwise solemn scene.  If only I looked at cemeteries as beautiful gardens to rest in.

Almost a year later, I received some email messages from a Fort Bragg local... He wrote:

I as just reading your log and viewing the picture from Geo-nascondigli in Fort Bragg. The headstone picture for Jacob Gregory Swanson is one of a former student from my technology class when I taught at FBHS. Seeing your picture brought all this forward in my mind again. I noticed that you are a teacher and wanted to share his story with you. I am pasting a link below to the story of the tragic circumstances surrounding his death.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090818/ARTICLES/908189960?Title=Apparent-murder-suicide-in-Fort-Bragg

It is doubly tragic that a local young mother of three also lost her life in this sad tale. War has its affect on those that are returning to us and are in need of support the military is unwilling to give or unable to provide. Very sad in deed and affects this small community to this day. His sacrifice was hard not only on him but the community he came back to. 

I find it very poignant that your daughter placed a stone on his headstone considering the circumstances of his passing. Children are the purest of spirits. Thanks for posting and the picture. A good reminder of the true costs of "defending our freedoms"/"soldiering".

Death, as my father so aptly put it "is inconvenient".

"Jake" or "Swani" as he was called in high school by friends was not the easiest student but he wasn't the most difficult. Very intelligent, bright and capable, somewhat disruptive in class and prone to heading off in his own directions. He did have a fascination with the military and weapons of any sort. In class he could often be found off task browsing military and related sites on the computer. It was not surprising. with a father who was ex-military and his fascination with that experience, that he joined the army. 

The introduction to the true reality of the military must have caused him some pause as his understanding of it grew. Jake wasn't always aware of the true nature of things and I'm sure the reality of the experience of war caused him some re-evaluation and reflection upon his return from his  tours of duty. I do know that he had the strong support of his mother throughout his life and that they had a good relationship with her when he was in high school and afterward. I really don't know what more could have been done at the high school level, knowing his predilections... but certainly more after his tours of duty. 

Definitely a time for the community to reflect on the cost of sending our young off to war and what we can do as a community to support those who return alive but not whole from the experience.

I'm glad that your daughter has a positive outlook, reflects well on her parents I'm sure. Her observations of cemeteries being beautiful gardens to rest in, is quite on the mark. I like that! Thanks again for posting and sharing your own story.


Best regards,
Mr.Garibaldi (Alias)

Unfortunately, others won't share the same experience.  The location is closed as per the following post:

 Temporarily Disable Listing

 

Well, we went out and checked the cache and sure enough, the drunks finally got to it.

I'm temporarily disabling this, probably for a while. Next time the whole Cache Cab comes up to visit Fort Bragg again, we will replace it in a hopefully more hidden spot. It's a shame, now two of our three caches have been vandalized. 

At least with this post, the story remains.

A strange thing happened on the way Fort Bragg ...We learned much about Life & Death.