The president of an Oakland Township foundry knew exactly what he had to do the moment he read that dozens of graveside cemetery markers were snatched earlier this month from a Sandycreek Township cemetery.

Make new ones and donate them to the families whose loved ones no longer have the military-service markers.

"I'm a Vietnam veteran, and I figure if I can help the vets, I will," said Glenn A. Davis, president of Hegedus Aluminum Industries Inc.

The company has been a respected player for more than 45 years as a manufacturer of everything from custom parts for snow-making machines in Colorado and manifolds for the boating industry to castings for medical, industrial painting, high performance power support and heavy compressor industries.

Lynn McMasters, Venango County's director of veterans affairs, said he's not sure exactly how many markers were stolen from Old Sandy Cemetery before Veterans Day, but cemetery officials estimate its between 70 and 85 - half of all markers on the cemetery's military graves.

"There's been a lot of positive response from the community," McMasters said. "The VFW in Oil City is putting together a reward program for apprehending and prosecuting the individual who did this and multiple individuals in the community have sent checks or other items to help increase that amount.

"People will take these and ruin things for everyone. They don't have enough courage to get (by) on their own, but they take from those who have served."

Initially, Venango County supplies markers for graves of veterans. The markers and flag-holders each have a medallion that designates the specific conflict in which a U.S. veteran served. Volunteer veterans' organizations, schools and other groups put small American flags in them prior to Memorial Day and then remove the flags after Veterans Day.

But if a marker comes up missing or stolen, the family of the veteran is normally responsible for supplying a new one, McMasters said.

"With that large a number, (Davis) was good enough to say he that he even has some of the original molds to make some of the older markers that we couldn't have found," the director said.

Some of the markers, like ones from the Indian Wars and the Civil War, aren't made anymore, he said. In that case, graves could end up with a general type of veteran's marker.

"We probably have all of them," Davis said. "We've got some patterns we've never used before, so I assume we have them all."

Davis said Hegedus started making the markers in 2002 and annually supplies 10,000 to 12,000 veteran's markers to counties throughout Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio. Only for the last two years has he supplied markers to Venango County.

"I like to keep the costs at a minimum for the counties so hopefully they'll do more for veterans," Davis said.

All the new markers will be constructed of aluminum. Not only is that Hegedus' specialty material, but the lightweight markers cost less than heavier metal markers. Because of the lower cost, aluminum markers also act as a theft deterrent, Davis said.

The markers will be manufactured at Hegedus' Route 428 foundry north of Oil City and Davis Products of Titusville will paint and thread the pieces.

Original markers still missing

Meanwhile, the cemetery's stolen markers have not been located, McMasters said.

"I know that state police are working diligently on trying to resolve the issue," he said. "Most of the time when aluminum and bronze go up in cost, that's when you start seeing wire disappear from construction sites and aluminum markers or bronze markers disappear from graves. ... This is just something that sometimes, as a society, we have 85 to 90 percent of citizens who are good and faithful and the other 10 percent or so has no regard for anything. I'm hoping that somewhere along the line, these people get what's coming to them."

After hearing of the thefts, some people have taken old markers that have been damaged and repaired to the county's veterans affairs office, while others have expressed interested in donating money so the markers could be replaced.

"I'm recommending that people send money to the reward program to try and apprehend the individuals who did this hideous deed," McMasters said.