Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Mandy Hunsucker | A 2nd class petty officer of the Navy lays a wreath on a fallen Veteran's tombstone...... read more read more
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By Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph R. Wax
Fleet Public Affairs Center, Atlantic
SUFFOLK, Va. – A Wreaths Across America wreath laying ceremony was held, Dec. 13, at the Alfred G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery to honor all veterans past, present and future.
Active-duty service members, members of the Patriot Guard Riders, veterans from all services and family and friends attended the event meant to "remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach our children the value of freedom."
As part of the nationwide Wreaths Across America initiative, six ceremonial wreaths were placed in front of a monument honoring the five services and all Prisoner Of War/Missing In Action veterans. However, those involved in the planning made sure this year's ceremony had a little something special.
"About three years ago, Wreaths across America, which always brought the wreaths to Arlington, decided to take it nationwide," said Virginia Civil Air Patrol Maj. Dean Gould, also an active-duty Air Force lieutenant colonel stationed at Langley Air Force Base. "The first ceremony was two years ago and it was just us and some of the Patriot Riders and some of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services and a small color guard."
After two-years of small ceremonies with just six wreaths, a decision was reached to make sure there was a wreath on every one of the approximately 2,000 graves.
"We talked to the director of the cemetery [Dan Kemano] and he was more than willing to help us put something together," said Dassa Carvey, the president of WAVES National. "We had a lady from the local community, Jeanne Banks, who offered to do a fundraiser so that we could lay a wreath on every single grave site out here."
A grass-roots campaign was organized and money was raised to ensure that every burial site indeed received a holiday wreath.
"It was so absolutely beautiful," said Banks. "It was what I dreamed it would be."
After the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Honor Guard paraded the colors flanked by Patriot Guard Riders displaying the flag at the start of the ceremony, Petty Officer 3rd Class Sarah Janiak sang the National Anthem, Navy Lt. Brian Bailey gave the invocation, Gould read the Wreaths Across America Tribute and Ray Bennett sang "Salute To Our Comrades In Arms" before the floor was given to the guest speaker, Rear Adm. Wendi B. Carpenter, commander, Navy Warfare Development Command.
"It says so much about the character of our nation that so many are here today," said Carpenter. "We live in a sound-bite culture, but the men and women who serve's story deserves telling and retelling."
More than 1,700 wreaths were laid by volunteers early in the morning, with the final 25 being placed by active-duty Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen during the ceremony. J. B. Matthews from the Salvation Army honored the fallen with Taps and Dr. David Lotz closed the ceremony with a bagpipe rendition of "Amazing Grace."
"As an active-duty member for me to have the honor and the privilege to come out here and lay wreaths down on the graves of my fallen comrades I think is very heartening," said Coast Guard Seaman Fernando Flores Jr.
For those involved and those in attendance the ceremony exceeded expectations.
"I had tears in my eyes," said Carvey. "It was beyond words, really just so tremendous."
"I just can't explain how much it meant, it was too much," said Arlene Schacht, whose husband, a retired senior chief sonar technician who fought in WWII, is buried there.
Donations for next year's Wreaths Across America ceremony can be made to The Wreath Society at Sun Trust Bank, 123 Main St. in Suffolk.
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2008 15:36 |
| Story ID: | 27719 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 233 |
| Downloads: | 181 |
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