South Windsor veterans and families gathered at Veteran’s Memorial Park on Saturday, December 13th to honor South Windsor’s veterans in a wreath laying ceremony.
The event was coordinated with Wreaths Across America, a national organization dedicated to honoring American veterans and ensuring their memory lives on.
Wreaths Across America was started more than two decades ago as an effort to honor fallen service members who served our country. Since then, it has grown into a nationwide organization, with wreath ceremonies occurring annually in December.
In December, Wreaths Across America spreads their message of commemorating the sacrifice made by veterans and their families. Boy and Girl Scouts, veterans, families, and community volunteers joined together for the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony, a meaningful tradition that unites the town in gratitude.
“Ceremonies like this are important because it brings the community together to honor the sacrifices of those that served our country,” South Windsor High School student and event volunteer Jane Carty comments. “I think the future generation has a responsibility to keep traditions like this alive and to honor individuals who had an impact on our country.”
For many in South Windsor, the ceremony goes beyond placing holiday wreaths on graves. Wreaths Across America is supported locally by South Windsor’s American Legion and is coordinated with the town’s patriotic commission – a group committed to fostering pride and respect for those who have served in the U.S. armed forces.
The ceremony in South Windsor began 15 years ago with only 43 wreaths donated locally. This year, over 2,000 wreaths were donated by the community.
The event began at Veteran’s Memorial Park on Pleasant Valley Road. Representatives from the South Windsor Patriotic Commission spoke at the event, and veterans from South Windsor laid wreaths on memorial sites for South Windsor veterans of each war.
Following the ceremonial wreath laying, veterans fired a three-volley salute, a traditional memorial practice in which three blank rounds are fired in remembrance of the fallen. Speakers emphasized the importance of gratitude for our local and national veterans, and the impact that thoughtful remembrance can have.
Alongside the three-volley salute, South Windsor High School senior Ben Bolduc played Taps on his trumpet, a bugle call often played to honor fallen soldiers.
“As a high school student, playing Taps not only shows respect to veterans, but also demonstrates how the younger generation is staying involved in honoring them. They [veterans] are extremely important in our nation, so the younger generation must continue to honor them. By me as a high school student doing that, I’m carrying on their legacy,” Bolduc commented.
“As I was playing, I was thinking about all of the veterans who had lost their lives as well as the families of those individuals. By playing Taps, I was lucky enough to commemorate them and their legacy.”
The group at Veteran’s Memorial Park dispersed once the ceremony ended, and moved over to the First Congregational Church of South Windsor on Main Street. Community volunteers laid wreaths on each veterans’ grave and said their names out loud while doing so, practicing the act of meaningful remembrance.
Each Veterans Day, the American Legion puts a flag on every grave, then every December, they lay a wreath, which are traditions that strive to honor and remember the sacrifice of South Windsor veterans.
Wreaths Across America is more than a tradition, it is a way to connect with the real person behind the name on a tombstone. Veterans, family members, and community leaders who attended this event took the time to reinforce the importance of remembering the sacrifices our veterans made for us, and to show gratitude during the holiday season.
