WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
A large crowd gathered beside the Veterans Memorial at Belvedere Memorial Park on Saturday to pay their respects to the Armed Forces veterans laid to rest there; nearly 400 wreaths were distributed by the CAP’s San Angelo Composite Squadron and Texas Leadership Cadet Squadron.
All Veterans Cemetery, up the hill at Belvedere Memorial Park, is an official Wreaths Across America (WAA) location, and today’s ceremony coincided with thousands of ceremonies across the country for National Wreaths Across America Day.
The national ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery took place a few hours before, with more than 5,000 wreaths placed.
Alongside the Joint Services Color Guard, First Lieutenant Gentry Olson, of the 17th Security Squadron at Goodfellow Air Force Base, who serves as commander of the San Angelo Composite Squadron, spoke briefly.
Officers and cadets, along with families and friends, then lined up and took their wreaths, kneeling down, and observing a short moment of silence beside each headstone.
This is the 18th year the ceremony has taken place, said Lt. Col. Dana Gray of the CAP Composite Squadron, who allowed that she was very pleased with how the event has grown.
During a brief interview before the ceremony began, Gray spoke with heartfelt conviction: “This is an honor and a privilege to do.”
“Not including my commanders in my group, we have at least 150 people here today to honor our veterans, to teach our children that they are the next generation that has to bring our freedoms forward.”
