Veterans remembered at ceremony
Mike Booker of the Blue Knights motorcycle group in Washington places a wreath at a headstone in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township.
Mike Jones / Observer-Reporter Members of the Civil Air Patrol Squadron 603 present wreaths at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township.
More than 5,500 wreaths were placed at the foot of headstones Saturday afternoon during the Wreaths Across America remembrance services at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.
Joseph Nugent, 94, of Cecil a World War II veteran, places a wreath on the grave of his friend, Gasper Impiccini, at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township Saturday.
CECIL – Mike Booker didn’t know Pearl J. Fisher before placing a wreath at the foot of her headstone at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies Saturday afternoon.
But he took a few seconds, reading on her headstone that she served as a private in U.S. Army during World War II.
“Thank you for your service,” he whispered.
The vice president of Blue Knights motorcycle group in Washington then tapped the top of her headstone, took a step back and walked to the cardboard boxes overflowing wreathes before laying another one at a nearby grave. Each time, he spent a few moments in silence reading the inscription, while others stood at attention and saluted the headstones.
Each veteran laid to rest here has a story of service, Booker said.
“Their history tells us what they gave and what sacrifices they made,” Booker said.
More than 2,000 people braved the bitter cold and brisk winds as they converged at the cemetery for the annual Wreaths Across America remembrance service held at every National Cemetery in the country. They placed 5,553 wreaths at the graves of veterans here following a short service recognizing and remembering the veterans’ service.
“Thank you for braving this weather today,” cemetery Director Ronald Hestdalen said. “It shows a lot of support for the men and women in uniform.”
Members of Civil Air Patrol Squadron 603 presented wreaths at the cemetery’s memorial wall honoring every military branch before the crowd dispersed into each section across the rolling hills tucked away in this corner of Washington County.
“The purpose is to remember and honor our veterans,” Hestdalen said, “and teach our youth of what it means to be a veteran.”
The wreaths will remain at the cemetery until Feb. 7.