Fallen to be remembered at Wreaths Across America
In more than 1,200 locations nationwide, from New York City to Podunk, tens of thousands of military personnel who fought and died for this country will be honored in a special ceremony Saturday during the annual Wreaths Across America.
In a Purple Heart city such as Cape Coral, that means going the extra mile to remember the fallen, as it is the first and only city nationally to include a water and air element to the event.
The same will happen at 9:30 a.m. at Tarpon Point Marina where a land and sea ceremony will take place that honors military personnel lost or buried at sea.
This year’s theme for the “Operation Tribute at Sea” event will be “Say Their Names Out Loud.”
“There are so many of our military we lost or chose to be buried at sea, they don’t have a grave for the families to go to on land. It’s important for these families to know their loved ones are not being forgotten,” said Nancy McCarn, who with husband, Pat, have organized this event from the beginning.
The event will be in tribute to the 12 Marines who lost their lives in a helicopter crash off the coast of Hawaii in January. Two bodies still have not been recovered from the incident.
The Tribute at Sea event is scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m. with a rendezvous in the Caloosahatchee River at the Cape Coral Bridge
Meanwhile, the land portion of the program will begin with a wreath escort with the Patriot Guard Riders from Horton Park to the marina beginning at 9:15.
At 9:45, there will be a wreath presentation ceremony at the marina. Andrea and Darryl Gatlin will perform the National Anthem. Among the speakers will be retired Marine Tim Kenny, Commandant, PFC Paul E. Ison Detachment No. 60, along with a representative of the Coast Guard base on Fort Myers Beach.
The Naval Sea Cadets, Gulf Eagle Division, will participate and play Taps, and three Gold Star parents, including the father of Marine Cpl. Thomas Jardas, Tim Jardas, will present the wreaths.
As usual, all the veteran organizations will be there, with the VFW Post 8463 Harney Point presenting the colors. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office to do the three-volley salute, and Ashlee Sluski will perform on the bagpipes
At 10:30 a.m., participants will depart the marina and rendezvous at the Sanibel Bridge at 11. The Remembrance ceremony will begin at noon, which is open to the boating community with an RSVP.
The seven wreaths, from Su Ellen Florals, represent the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines and POW/MIAs, which will then be put on a boat en route to international waters three miles offshore, and placed there.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary will conduct a flyover and thus will participate in all three phases of the event.
All participating organizations have been asked for the names of those who have passed away this year, those lost at sea this year, and those who have taken part in the event since 2009 will have their names said out loud, thus the theme, McCarn said.
Cape Coral added the sea element in 2009 and the air portion of the event came three years later, which can cause logistical nightmares, but is well worth it.
“We’ve done this for years. We have all the contacts and everything on a spreadsheet, so everything falls into place,” McCarn said. “It’s the most awesome things we’ve ever done.
According to the Wreaths Across America website, the event started in 1992 when the owner of a wreath shop decided to bring his surplus wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery to honor those buried there.
This wreath-laying event would turn into an annual event that went on quietly until 2005, when a photo of the stones at Arlington, adorned with wreaths and covered in snow, circulated around the internet and went viral. Overnight, the project received national attention, with thousands of requests pouring in from people wanting to help.