Honoring those who've gone before

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Scott Jackson
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
Every year since 1992, Wreaths Across America makes its way state-to-state, cemetery-to-cemetery with the intention to glorify and honor the fallen veterans that make up our past.

Communities across the nation call upon WAA to bring wreaths for every fallen veteran.

For San Angelo, this event took place at the Belvedere Cemetery Dec. 17. Civilians, veterans and Goodfellow Air Force Base members came out to volunteer their time to lay out the wreaths.

According to www.wreathsacrossamerica.org, Morrill Worcester, Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington owner, used the company's surplus of wreaths in 1992 to honor the nation's veterans by placing wreaths on the headstones in one of the older sections of Arlington, receiving fewer visitors each year. In 2005, a photo of the wreaths at Arlington hit the internet and thousands of requests poured in from people who wanted to help and copy the Arlington project at national and state cemeteries.

“I personally haven’t had any instances of losing a friend or a close one but I do realize, like the old saying goes, ‘you don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been,” said Senior Airman Stephen Muldoon, 17th Medical Support Squadron. “This is paying respect to all those individuals who came before us.”