Organizations honor those who sacrificed for freedom.
On Saturday, December 14, Wreaths Across America held its annual wreath laying in Plant City. The event commenced with a ceremony at Courier Field and the Veterans Monument attended by over 100 people. The ceremony included an invocation by Captain Robert Olszewski, USAF Reserve, a moment of silence, presentation of colors by Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop 734, the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, the National Anthem, and a trumpet playing taps. On behalf of Plant City, Vice-Mayor Jason Jones spoke to the assembly.
“The core values of Wreaths Across America are ‘Remember, Honor, Teach,’” Jeannie Elliott, Mistress of Ceremony, said. “These values are the bedrock of the ceremony and community participation. We do not lay wreaths to decorate graves, we place them to honor lives that were lived in dedication to service. We remember that freedom is hard won and we honor those who secured it for their generation. We remember that it is our responsibility to maintain liberty and teach the next generation the correlation between history and the quality of our lives today. It is our profound honor to be a part of the ceremony, and I encourage families to incorporate Wreaths Across America into their holiday planning for next year.”
“We have been doing this for many years,” 18-year-old Nicholas Schiavone, a Boy Scout, said. “We used to do it at Bushnell at the National Cemetery, but they finally brought it down to Plant City last year. My family—we like to do a lot for the veterans. It means a lot to us to show love to these veterans—to show love to these people, many of whom died fighting for us, fighting for our freedom. So, it feels really nice to give them respect instead of leaving them unnoticed.”
“We are doing it for our American Heritage Girls to honor the veterans,” 10-year-old Isabel said. American Heritage Girls (AHG) is dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. AHG offers badge programs, service projects, leadership opportunities, and outdoor experiences, all with an emphasis on Christian values and family involvement.
Eleven-year-old Ryleigh took part, “…because my troop was doing it, and to honor veterans.”
Prior to Saturday, teams went to cemeteries to mark veterans’ graves with American flags on wood sticks. After the Saturday ceremony, 150 adults and children laid wreaths. For the ceremony they took these actions:
First, they stood in front of the grave site and saluted the veteran or held hand over heart.
Second, they read from the headstone the name, rank, war or area of combat, date of birth, and date of death.
Third, they placed the wreath in front of the headstone.
Fourth, they stepped back, saluted the veteran, and thanked them for their service.
Finally they gathered the marker flag from the grave site and returned it to a coordinator.
“I did this because…to honor the veterans for their service, and to put a wreath, and to be nice.” 11-year-old Alex said.
More than two million volunteers gathered at 4,600 locations, in all 50 states and abroad to remember veterans. Those who served in Plant City laid 1160 wreaths at Shiloh Cemetery, Garden of Peace Cemetery, Memorial Park Cemetery, Oaklawn Cemetery, and Turkey Creek Baptist Cemetery in Dover. Many of the wreath layers were members of BSA Troop 744, Plant City, and American Heritage Girls Troop 0014.
“We are participating,” Jessica Norman said about her family. “I think it is a really nice way to honor veterans to remember them for their service. It helps us to appreciate what they have done for us.”
