Remember the fallen

BRIDGEVILLE – One by one, members of the AmVets Post 103 Honor Guard brought out parts of a memorial for the audience to see Saturday.
As they stood in the brisk weather at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, the honor guard brought out boots, a weapon, a helmet and dog tags, layering one on top of the other in memory of veterans. The service was part of the Wreaths Across America event.
“They are our beloved veterans,” said Jim Smith, commander of the AmVets Post 103 Honor Guard. “Let us remember our fallen brothers, not just today but after we leave here.”
The honor guard, along with Civil Air Patrol Squadron 601 from Washington and Greene Counties and Squadron 602 from Allegheny County, participated in the ceremony at the Cecil Township cemetery and helped place wreaths on the graves of fallen soldiers.
John Kenes, who organized the event, said he’s been getting wreathes for the fallen soldiers for about five years.
Kenes, commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, said he got 100 wreaths the first year. This year, 860 wreaths were placed on the graves of fallen soldiers.
He said he was glad to see so many children in the audience of hundreds.
Kenes, who served in World War II and Vietnam, said the ceremony is about teaching history and honoring veterans.
It’s a ceremony that happened all over the country at noon.
More than 100,000 wreaths were expected to be placed on gravestones and monuments in stirring, solemn tributes to the 25 million men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces and guarded and preserved America’s freedom throughout history, according to a news release from Wreaths Across America.
Since its inception in 2006, Wreaths Across America has grown – from 240 ceremonies at national and state veterans’ cemeteries in its first year to more than 400 expected in all 50 states and 24 national cemeteries abroad in 2009, the release states.
“Our mission is to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach our children the value of freedom,” Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America, said in the release.