Civil Air Patrol Members To Honor Fallen Service Members at Wreaths Across America Remembrance Ceremony

McChord Field -- Members of Civil Air Patrol’s Washington Wing invite the public to lay thousands of remembrance wreaths on the graves of veterans at Tahoma National Cemetery (Kent, Wash.) on December 14, to honor those who served the U.S. as well as current military members.

Veterans groups, Gold Star Mothers, active duty, reserve, Guard and auxiliary military personnel will participate in the ceremony and be in attendance. There will be a USMC Rifle Team from Marine Barracks Joint Base Lewis-McChord for a 21-gun salute, three retired United States Army buglers who will play “(Triple) Taps”, members of the Puget Sound Fire Authority, a Civil Air Patrol Cadet Color Guard, and the Liberty High School (Renton) and Issaquah School District Choir will sing the National Anthem, God Bless America, and America the Beautiful.  The wing’s efforts coincide with Wreaths Across America tributes occurring simultaneously across the nation, including Arlington National Cemetery, where the initiative began in 1992 with the placement of 5,000 wreaths donated by Morrell Worcester, owner of Harrington, Maine’s Worcester Wreath Co. In 2006, Worcester and his family formed Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit initiative that recognizes the courage and sacrifices of U.S. veterans by placing wreaths on the graves of the fallen during the year-end holiday season.

As a major partner in Wreaths Across America, CAP has adorned memorials and veterans’ graves with evergreen wreaths to make sure the sacrifices of the nation’s soldiers are not forgotten. 

Wreaths Across America ceremonies are conducted largely by CAP wings and squadrons with the help of veterans’ organizations; private citizens; the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C., which annually assists with the laying of wreaths at Arlington; and the Patriot Guard Riders.

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of more than 80 lives annually. CAP’s 66,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 28,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news or www.wawgcap.org for more information.

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