Wreaths Across America honors departed

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephen Musal
  • 460th Space Wing Public Affairs
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  Eighty-seven Airmen, Sailors and Marines from Buckley Air Force Base joined the Civil Air Patrol, Airmen from Schriever and Peterson Air Force Bases, and civilians from the Denver Metropolitan Area in honoring veterans at Wreaths Across America Dec. 12 at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Littleton.

Wreaths Across America, run by the Civil Air Patrol, is an event designed to honor departed veterans nationwide during a single day in December. Groups of CAP members and volunteers from local military bases and communities lay wreaths on the graves at veterans cemeteries across America.

"The Wreaths Across America event is a way to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in serving our great nation," said Chief Master Sgt. Arleen Heath, 460th Space Wing command chief master sergeant.

Participants in the ceremony were encouraged to look up the names of veterans upon whose graves they lay wreaths, to find out more about America's military heritage while honoring the departed.

Some participants, however, were already familiar with the graves on which they lay wreaths. 1st Lt. Brandon Goebel lay a wreath on the grave of his girlfriend's father, Navy Seaman Apprentice Henry L. Long, at the request of Seaman Long's family.

"Laying a wreath is such a small gesture when you look at how much these veterans have done for us. It was my way of saying 'thank you,' not just for raising a wonderful daughter but for protecting the world that we grew up in," Lieutenant Goebel said.

"The men and women like him who served before us all paved the way for the generation that serves today. They passed that torch onto us and, as we all march forward in our duties, we need to remember to look back and thank them for their sacrifices."

 

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