FLAGGING of the VETERANS GRAVES at Colestown Cemetery

There are over 400 VETERANS GRAVES in Colestown Cemetery – among many heroes that rest here are Medal of Honor recipient George R Cholister and our beloved Cpt Greg Dalessio of Cherry Hill who was killed in 2008.

Colestown was actually a small village founded in the late 1600s. The village contained two stores, a blacksmith shop, several dwellings, a church, a cemetery and a hotel.

The cemetery, where the earliest burial was recorded in 1746, is the only remnant of this village. The gatehouse, constructed in 1858, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. One side of the gatehouse was used as a chapel for funeral services, and the other side was the living quarters for the superintendent of the cemetery. Medal of Honor recipient George Cholisters father, Harry, lived here for over 30 years as the Superintendent.

George Cholister, although born in Camden, was educated at Ellisburg School, which was then Delaware Township. His father was a policeman in Stockton before becoming a Superintendent at Colestown Cemetery.

Cholister enlisted in the Navy on April 11, 1916 and was in the eighth year of his enlistment when he sustained the injuries which resulted in his death. During the World War, George served on a submarine in the North Sea and was later transferred to the US Destroyer Fanning, which was officially credited with sinking 3 German submarines. He also served in China and Japan for 4 years, during the earthquake disaster. George Cholister lost his life on October 20, 1924, at Norfolk, VA, when a charge of powder during gun practice was prematurely ignited aboard the USS Cruiser Trenton. He was posthumoutly awarded both the Navy Cross and Medal on Honor.

Another hero, Army Cpt Greg Dalessio, who grew up in the Knollwood Section of Cherry Hill,  was fatally shot on June 23, 2008 as he emerged from a weekly reconstruction meeting with Iraqi officials in the city of Salman Pak. The gunman in that attack also killed another American soldier and wounded three others. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division and was on his second tour.

Since his death in 2008, his family has held an Annual Cpt Greg Dalessio 5K Run/Walk on the 1^st Saturday in December.

On Monday, May 18th, members of the American Legion, Boy Scout Leaders and friends of the Legion flagged the grave. To view photos, click here