FYI County set to digitize veterans records as old as 18th century 6/3/11 Project expected to cost about $20,000 By TOM JOYCE Daily Record/Sunday News Updated: 06/03/2011 01:17:30 PM EDT York, PA - York County has its share of veterans' memorials. But the most comprehensive one is never seen by the public. It resides in a walk-in safe in a locked room of the York County Department of Veterans Affairs. And it consists of tens of thousands of index cards, each one of which bears the name of a deceased York County veteran. The veterans listed on those cards fought in conflicts ranging from the 18th century's French and Indian War all the way up to modern engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to York County Director of Veterans Affairs Phil Palandro. Soon, the county will start on a project that will involve scanning all of those cards and putting them in digital form. "We just want to move into the 21st century," Palandro said. According to Palandro, the index cards include the name of the veterans, what war they fought in and where they're buried. Palandro said federal law requires the county to maintain those records. Although they're not public, family members or a designee can look at them to check on the burial status of an individual. And Palandro said his office uses them each Memorial Day to put out 52,000 American flag grave markers throughout the county. Digitizing the index cards will make them easier to search. County officials also worry about the possibility of losing them in a fire, Palandro said. York County Information Technology Director Al Raneiro said the project should start this summer. He said it will likely cost about $20,000, which will come from a fund made up of filing fees from the county recorder of deeds office. "It blows my mind, how many cards there are," Raneiro said.