300 help place wreaths at cemetery in Sparta
SPARTA. A representative of each branch of the military placed a wreath at the cemetery’s Statue of the Fallen.
Sparta /
| 20 Dec 2022 | 08:51
People place wreaths on the graves of veterans after the ceremony Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Northern New Jersey Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sparta. (
)
A member of the honor guard plays taps at the ceremony. (
)
A representative of each branch of the military took part in the ceremony. (
)
Past and present members of the armed forces wait to present wreaths Saturday in Sparta. (
)
The annual Wreaths Across America ceremony took place Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Northern New Jersey Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sparta.
About 300 people participated in the solemn ceremony that stressed remembering the fallen, honoring those who served and teaching the next generation.
After the ceremony, they placed 488 wreaths on the graves of veterans.
A winter holiday tradition, the nonprofit organization Wreaths Across America has been placing wreaths on military personnel’s graves since 2007, starting in Arlington National Cemetery.
The program now remembers and honors the fallen at 3,400 locations throughout the United States, abroad and at sea.
The local ceremony included an honor guard from American Legion Post 157 in Branchville.
A representative of each branch of the military placed a wreath at the cemetery’s Statue of the Fallen. Wreaths also were placed for POW-MIAs and for the new Space Force.
At the conclusion of the formal ceremony, those attending were asked to place wreaths on graves of service personnel, announcing their name and thanking them for their service.
The nonprofit organization Wreaths Across America has been placing wreaths on military personnel’s graves since 2007, starting in Arlington National Cemetery. The program now remembers and honors the fallen at 3,400 locations throughout the United States, abroad and at sea.