Locals place wreaths on graves of veterans to honor the fallen
Rain pelted locals last Saturday at Highlands Cemetery as they placed wreaths on the graves of veterans as a part of Wreaths Across America 2021.
The day began at noon in the Highlands Community Building with a ceremony.
American Legion Post 370 Chaplain Paul Schowalter began the ceremony with a prayer.
“Almighty God, we come to you today to show honor and respect for our deceased veterans,” Schowalter said. “We know their spirits and souls live with you for eternity. It is with this thankfulness that we set aside time to remember their strength, their courage and their faithfulness to our American causes. Please bless these hearty people who have weathered the storm and rains to place Christmas wreaths on the cold and damp headstones and bronze plaques. May their efforts bring joy and peace to each of these participants and lighten the Highlands Plateau area to see the selfless efforts of these, their neighbors and friends. Lord, as we continue these ceremonies, bless us so that we in turn, can be a blessing to all who see our actions during this Christmas season and throughout the year.”
Organizer Mike Murphy said that on Saturday, across 3,100 participating locations, people are gathered to remember, honor and teach.
“We are all proud to be Americans that live in a free society made up of many different people from many walks of life,” Murphy said. “The freedoms we enjoy today did not come without a price. In our cemetery and cemeteries across the nation are men and women who gave their lives so that we could live in freedom and without fear. We can worship as we see fit, we can raise our children to believe as we do, we are free to vote for the leaders of our choosing and we have the right to succeed and fail at whatever endedvour we wish to pursue. The United States was founded on the ideals of freedom, justice and equality. Our nation stands as a shining beacon of liberty and freedom to the entire world. We thank those who gave their lives to keep us free and we shall not forget you. We shall remember. Today more than ever we reflect on all of our fallen veterans and active service duty members who have had, and continue to fight, to protect the innocent and the oppressed. This nation has always been the first to stand up for freedom of people from around the world. Many of you here today have answered that call and served your country well. For this, we say thank you and we are honored to know you.”
One change to the event this year, was adding a wreath to honor those in the U.S. Space Force.
Murphy continued by reciting a quote from former President Ronald Raegan.
“’Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the blood stream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same. For one day, we will spend our sunset years telling our children or our children’s children what it was once like in the United States,’” Murphy said. “Today we show a united front of gratitude and respect across the U.S. as we remember the fallen, honor those who serve and their families and teach the next generation the value of freedom.”
- By Christopher Lugo