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They came in droves Saturday to Waterside Cemetery and fanned out across the frozen grass, wreaths in hand and the names of soldiers on their lips in honor of Wreaths Across America.
“President Ronald Reagan once said, ‘freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction,’” said Wreaths Across America co-chair Emily DeJoy. “It must be fought for, protected and handed on, and that is why we gather here today, united in gratitude and respect as we remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach the next generation the value of freedom.”
Over 2 million people in more than 5,000 locations across the country turned out Saturday to lay wreaths on the gravestones of veterans as part of Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organized in 2007 aimed at remembering the fallen, honoring those who served and teaching the next generation the value of freedom.
Chloe Mahoney attended the Marblehead event at Waterside Cemetery for just that reason, to learn. Mahoney carried an armload of wreaths, each tied with a bright red bow, through the cemetery carefully reading headstones as she walked. A junior at Marblehead High School, Mahoney has already planned her future.
“I want to go into the Coast Guard,” she said.
She came out Saturday with her dad, Josh, because she said she thought it was important to understand the gravity of the situation for those in her community who over the generations have served and died for the country.
“It’s definitely eye opening to see how many people in Marblehead served,” she said.
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Josh Mahoney, who served in the Merchant Marines, called it a great thing to be putting wreaths on the gravestones of those who fought in wars from the Revolutionary War to modern day.
DeJoy said she and co-chair Kim Crowley got involved in Wreaths Across America after hearing that Marblehead wouldn’t be participating because they had no one to spearhead the event.
“There’s no way we were gonna let these veterans not have wreaths for the holiday season,” DeJoy said.
With the help of lots of family and friends, DeJoy said they collected enough donations to cover 2,700 wreaths, breaking the record of 2,500.
“So not only can we cover Waterside, which is historically, what they’ve done, we can cover Old Burial Hill, Star of the Sea, all of the veteran cemeteries,” she said.
During his remarks to the crowd Tim Crowley encouraged participants to speak the name of the veteran aloud and to thank them for their service.
“This small act helps keep their memory alive,” he said. “Remember we’re not here to decorate the graves. We’re here to honor the lives, the lives of courage, sacrifice and service. Each wreath is a gift of appreciation from a grateful nation.”
Minora Collins was thrilled to help honor the soldiers and was caught a bit off guard by how emotional she became when she laid her first wreath on the stone of a Korean War veteran.
“My father fought in Korea,” she said, swiping at her eyes. “It just got me.”
Collins said she has donated to Wreaths Across America for years but never knew how to physically volunteer until she stumbled across the Marblehead event. When asked why she thought it was important to come out on a cold, gray December day she said, “because these are men and women that give their lives.
“Some of them died after combat,” she continued. “But they made a sacrifice, even if it’s just a few years out of their lives and it’s important to support these people.”
Collins was quick to add that she also thinks it’s important to do more to support the veterans that are still here that need help.
Morgan Craig just moved back to Marblehead from California. She came out because both of her brothers are in the Navy and she had an uncle who also served.
“We’re definitely a Go-Navy-family but also, the older I get the more I am respecting, especially in this political environment, how important it is to celebrate and remember our freedom and what that looks like.”
State Rep. Jenny Armini bundled up against the cold in a long down jacket.
“I love Wreaths Across America,” she said. “I love that we do this in Marblehead.”
Armini said it brings together two great traditions, the Christmas wreath, which symbolizes its own kind of victory as well as the eternal cycle of life.
“And veterans deserve to be honored in the spirit, for eternity because their sacrifice is eternal, just like the symbol of the wreath,” she said. “It’s a great community event, to all come together to honor these veterans.”
Armini said she is also looking forward to the new year, celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and Marblehead’s role in the Revolutionary War as well as those who have kept that spirit alive through generations of freedom fighters.
“This is really a wonderful way to wrap up the year and kick off the new year,” she said.
