
Headstone makers struggle to serve grieving families as supply chain woes continue
CNN
The pandemic-fueled upheaval in the global supply chain is roiling the nation's monument industry at a time when demand for memorials is skyrocketing. Crucial materials like granite and saws are in short supply. And both workers and truck drivers can be tough to find.
The pandemic-fueled upheaval in the global supply chain is roiling the nation's monument industry at a time when demand for memorials is skyrocketing. Crucial materials, including granite, saws and rubber stencils, are in short supply. Workers can be tough to find and truck drivers even harder.
"We're just as much as possible trying to be upfront with the families we serve," said Modlich, owner of Columbus, Ohio-based Modlich Monuments, which was founded by his great-grandfather. "This could be six to nine months. To be completely honest, it could take longer. These are things that are out of our control."

More than two decades ago, on January 24, 2004, I landed in Baghdad as a legal adviser, assigned an office in what was then known as the Green Zone. It was raining and cold, and my duffle bag was thrown into a puddle off the C-130 aircraft that had just done a corkscrew dive to reach the runway without risk of ground fire. Young American soldiers greeted me as we piled into a vehicle, sped out of the airport complex and then along a road called the “Highway of Death” due to car bombs and snipers.












