Photo By Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris | Honor Guard Soldiers from the Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division take part in a...... read more read more
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PRINCETON, N.J. – The Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division hosted a wreath-laying ceremony for President Grover Cleveland March 18 at his gravesite in Princeton Cemetery.
Serving as the event’s official party were Princeton Mayor Mark Freda and Maj. Gen. Mark Palzer, 99th RD commanding general.
Palzer discussed President Cleveland’s greatest achievements, to include ushering in the Statue of Liberty in 1886 to commemorate America’s centennial.
“During the dedication ceremony for the Statue of Liberty, President Cleveland said, ‘We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home, nor shall her chosen alter be neglected. Willing votaries will constantly keep alive its fires,’” Palzer said. “A total of 2.3 million Active, Guard and Reserve Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and government civilians are those ‘willing votaries.’
“Symbols have power to uplift, to inspire, to show that the United States of America is worth fighting for,” Palzer said of Lady Liberty. “We see this as everyday Americans choose to fight for American ideals. We see this in our public servants and our military. America breeds patriotism. Like all components and branches of the military, the Army Reserve embodies the patriotic fervor that fuels our national greatness.
“The Statue of Liberty will endure not just because of its physical presence, but because it evokes the spirit of that which makes us Americans – freedom and liberty,” he continued. “May she forever hold her flame aloft.”
The event celebrated the 184th birthday of the only person to have served two non-consecutive presidential terms, first from 1884 to 1888 and again from 1892 to 1896. Following his second term, Cleveland spent 11 years as a Princeton resident until his death in 1908.
Freda said he was honored that President Cleveland had chosen Princeton as his retirement location, and that Princeton Cemetery was his final resting place.
The Presidential Wreath Laying Program is administered by the White House Military Office, which is responsible for coordinating the annual placement of presidential wreaths at the tombs and resting places of former presidents, other famous Americans and at certain memorials of historical significance.
Prior to August 1966, there was no particular pattern to the list that was maintained, and examination of the files reveal that the occasions were built up over the years upon the request of various private and public organizations that were interested in particular dates.
The repeated placement of a number of these wreaths through the years led to the development of the "President's Approved Wreath List" approved by President Johnson, Aug. 11, 1966, and further expanded with the passing of additional former presidents.
| Date Taken: | 03.18.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.18.2021 15:23 |
| Story ID: | 391759 |
| Location: | PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 171 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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