A Beautiful Sight

We bundled up last Saturday morning and made our way down the road to the Pikes Peak National Cemetery for Wreaths Across American day.


We knew this was going to be a different experience because of all the cars that were flowing in.  We had quite a walk from the car to the cemetery which is absolutely great!  


Boxes of wreaths were lined up and ready to be distributed.


First there was a small ceremony. All the speakers kept their comments brief and to the point.  My favorite part was a speaker that highlighted these famous words by Ronald Reagan.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.  We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream.  It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."


There were all kinds of honor guards, color guards, ROTC, active duty service members, and veterans.  


Even some red coats showed up.


There was a 21 gun salute followed by some rounds from the canons.


When the ceremony was finished, family members who have loved ones buried there were given 15 minutes to place wreaths on their loved one's graves.


Then the community stepped up to place wreaths on all the remaining graves.


In years past Irv and I would take armfuls of wreaths to place on the graves.


This year, however, the crowd was large so we only did a few wreaths each.


It is a very touching and somber experience.  


We were asked to say the name of the decedent and to thank them for their service.  I chose WWII veterans and Vietnam era veterans. 

Next year Wreaths Across America Day will be December 14, 2024.  This beautiful tribute takes place at the 1,100 national cemeteries in all 50 states.  Check out this link for more information or to sponsor one of these wreaths.


On our way back to the car we could see vehicles lined up for miles on both sides of the road.  Our community showed up!


Comments

polcat24 said…
Yes, In years past there wasn't a lot of folks. This year was unbelievable. It was impressive.
December 23, 2023 at 10:42 AM
Yogi♪♪♪ said…
Kudos to you and Irv and everyone else who showed up.
December 23, 2023 at 2:11 PM
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