BY DARLA SLIPKE/NewsOK
Published: December 13, 2009
Published: December 13, 2009
A small group gathered for an hour Saturday morning at the Oklahoma Veterans Cemetery to honor those who died serving in the military.
An American flag flapped in the wind overhead as people bowed their heads for a moment of silence before a wreath-laying ceremony.
The event, sponsored by the Oklahoma Wing of the Civil Air Patrol and the Oklahoma Society Daughters of the American Revolution, was part of Wreaths Across America, a national effort to remember those who died, honor those who serve and teach the value of freedom.
Similar wreath-laying ceremonies took place at veterans cemeteries and memorials throughout the country Saturday.
Representatives from different branches of the military and members of the Daughters of the American Revolution laid seven wreaths inside the entrance of the Oklahoma Veterans Cemetery, 2312 NE 36.
They carried one wreath for each branch of the military and one for prisoners of war and soldiers who went missing in action.
A group from the Civil Air Patrol watched in a formation facing the cemetery. Afterward, everyone helped lay wreaths at each grave.
The Civil Air Patrol is the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.
Dan Arnold and his 13-year-old son, Patrick, who are both members of the Oklahoma Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, took time to read the soldiers’ names and information.
"It’s appropriate to honor them, especially at Christmas,” Arnold said. "We get so caught up in buying things and doing things that we forget those who went before us.”
The ceremony was a fitting tribute to veterans who gave so much, said Col. Robert Castle, commander of the Oklahoma Wing of the Civil Air Patrol.
Castle has participated in the wreath-laying ceremony at Oklahoma Veterans Cemetery for the last three years. He said walking through the cemetery and reading the people’s names is a humbling experience.
"It makes it a little more meaningful when you come out and see the tombstone and realize all that person gave,” Castle said.
Read the story on NewsOK: http://www.newsok.com/wreath-ceremony-pays-homage-to-oklahomas-fallen/article/3424770?custom_click=lead_story_title#ixzz0ZhdjCPQ7
