Members of the Swampscott community gathered Saturday morning to lay wreaths on veterans’ graves.
“This is the third year that we’ve done this in a row, and it’s really grown every year,” said Director of Veterans’ Services Mike Sweeney.
The ceremony was part of the nationwide Wreaths Across America effort, held annually on a Saturday in December. Volunteers place live balsam wreaths on veterans’ graves at thousands of cemeteries across the country to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of fallen service members. The nonprofit organization continues and expands a tradition that began at Arlington National Cemetery.
“There are many men and women serving today in all branches of our military, here at home and in places far away that most of us have never heard of,” Sweeney said. “These men and women are part of the best trained, best equipped force in the world. We honor them and their families for their sacrifice that they make every day to keep our country safe. Today, we show a united front of gratitude and respect across the United States of America, as we remember the fallen, honor those who served, and teach our children of the value of freedom.”
In Swampscott, nearly 300 wreaths were placed, according to Sweeney. Residents also placed wreaths on stands honoring each military branch, the 93,129 U.S. service members whose last known status was either prisoner of war or missing in action, and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
“The mission of Wreaths Across America is to honor, remember and teach. Today I am laying the wreath for the Gold Star families,” said Andrea Gayle-Bennett, deputy secretary of the Executive Office of Veterans’ Services in Massachusetts as well as a retired brigadier general. “We absolutely cannot forget them. We need to honor them.”
Gayle-Bennett also noted that the day is about teaching young people in the community “what it means to be free and the cost of that freedom.”
As wreaths were placed, participants read each veteran’s name aloud and paused to honor them and thank them for their service.
“It’s a small act that goes a long way toward keeping the memory of our veterans alive,” Sweeney said. “We are here to remember not their deaths but their lives. Each wreath is a gift of appreciation from a grateful nation.”
Locally, the wreath-laying event was sponsored by the Swampscott Rotary and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 120.
“This is a special day to honor our veterans who have passed,” said VFW Quartermaster Dave Emerton, a veteran of the Vietnam War.
Emerton laid a wreath in memory of those who served and are serving in the United States Marine Corps.
The Military Friends Foundation has been the signature sponsor since the event began two years ago.
“The Military Friends Foundation has been honored to join with the community of Swampscott and local veterans to ensure that at the holiday season we can give thanks to those who stood on the front lines,” said Executive Director Sarah Sweeney. “It’s an opportunity to pause during the holiday season to really recognize the contributions.”
