<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=192888919167017&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Thursday, March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024

Linkedin Pinterest

Veterans, service members honored in Vancouver Wreaths Across America ceremony

By Sarah Wolf, Columbian staff writer
Published: December 18, 2021, 6:05pm
9 Photos
Young Marines Sgt. Gabriel Blok, 16, lays a wreath and salutes the grave of a veteran Saturday at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver.  At top,  Lewis & Clark Young Marines practice folding the flag before the official ceremonies begin.
Young Marines Sgt. Gabriel Blok, 16, lays a wreath and salutes the grave of a veteran Saturday at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver. At top, Lewis & Clark Young Marines practice folding the flag before the official ceremonies begin. (James Rexroad for The Columbian) Photo Gallery

An overcast December day provided the backdrop for a solemn but joyful Wreaths Across America event at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver Saturday.

Led by a bagpiper and color guard, those gathered for the event walked from the cemetery’s chapel to its Garden of Arlington West to mark the first wreath laying at the grave of Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Scholl.

It was the ninth year Wreaths Across America was held at the cemetery. There were 828 wreaths laid by volunteers on the graves of veterans. The Lewis and Clark Young Marines military youth organization, Patriot Guard Riders, Bright Eyes Dove Release, Rounds Design and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7824 all contributed to the event.

“These balsam wreaths symbolize our honor to those who have served and are serving in the armed forces in our great nation and to their families who endure sacrifices every day on our behalf,” said Anne McEnerny-Ogle, mayor of Vancouver, during the graveside ceremony. “We’re thankful to live in a country where the citizens, even during a global crisis, honor their veterans.

“Each wreath is a gift of appreciation from a grateful America,” she added.

McEnerny-Ogle and State Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, assisted Wilson’s 4-year-old grandson in laying the first wreath.

After walking to the site of the graveside ceremony, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7824 led an honor guard ceremony, which included a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps. Doves were also released by Scholl’s family.

“My husband is a veteran of the Marine Corps,” said Megan Rounds, who attended Saturday’s event with her husband and children. For her family, Wreaths Across America has become a December tradition. “We’ve been coming here for the last nine years just to be a part of something important and special.”

Preceding the outdoor ceremony, the Young Marines held an indoor ceremony at the cemetery’s chapel. The youth led prayers and held color guard and flag folding ceremonies. They also conducted a wreath presentation, in which members of the local military community placed wreaths in front of flags for the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines, as well as in front of a POW/MIA flag, honoring servicemen and servicewomen whose last known status was prisoner of war or missing in action. The wreaths were placed in memory of those who have served or are serving in the armed forces.

Sandy Amen is from a military family. Her daughter served in the Marine Corps and her son-in-law died serving in the Navy.

“It’s actually pretty emotional for us,” she said. Amen and her family have been coming to Wreaths Across America for the past nine years — since it started at Evergreen.

“It’s our way, as civilians, to give back to the military community in Clark County.”

The United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution Dec. 10, designating Dec. 18, 2021, as “Wreaths Across America Day.”

“Wreaths Across America is a powerful demonstration of respect and appreciation for our veterans — both those that we’ve lost and those still with us,” said Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, who introduced the resolution, in a joint statement.

More than 2,700 cemeteries around the country participated in this year’s event.

“As a nation standing together, we can defeat terrorism, hatred and injustice,” said Deonna Grove, a sergeant in the Young Marines and one of the youth presenters for the organization. “Thank you to our veterans, we have the freedom to do just that.”

Lindsay Fisher, vice president of administration at Evergreen, thanked those in the crowd for coming to Wreaths Across America every year to honor veterans.

“As we enter the holiday season, let us remember to not take anything for granted,” said Fisher. “May we remember the families around the country that will have an empty seat at their holiday table this year.

“Let us remember today and throughout the year that we are here to remember our fallen U.S. veterans, honor those who serve and teach our children the value of freedom.”

Loading...