OOn a frigid Saturday morning, nearly 4,000 WreathsAcross America volunteers — many of them members ofCivil Air Patrol — gathered early at Arlington NationalCemetery to honor 10,000 American heroes.

Within two hours of their arrival, all of the whitemarble headstones in Section 12 of the cemetery wereadorned with red-ribboned evergreen wreaths. Theview was magnificent, providing a stirring holiday trib-ute to the courage and sacrifice of those who haveguarded and preserved America’s freedom throughoutits 232-year history.

“As I stood near the front, with the Wreaths AcrossAmerica founders, it afforded me a memorable view of

the vast crowd — a mixture of military, civilians andCivil Air Patrol members,” said Col. Jane Davies, com-mander of CAP’s National Capital Wing. “All stoodtogether, braving the cold among the solemn headstoneswith one purpose in mind: to honor our fallen.”

Placing the remembrance wreaths at Arlington issymbolic, for it is one of the nation’s oldest burialgrounds established during the Civil War. More than340,000 veterans and military casualties from every oneof the nation’s wars are interred there, from theRevolutionary War through recent military actions inAfghanistan and Iraq. Pre-Civil War dead were rein-terred after 1900.

40Civil Air Patrol Volunteer March-April 2009

1st Lt. Rhoda Wharton, center, of the National Capital Wingʼs Andrews

Composite Squadron visits with CAP Vice National Commander Brig. Gen.

Reggie Chitwood, left, and CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S.

Courter before opening remarks for Wreaths Across America at Arlington.

Hundreds of CAP senior members and cadets attended the event, held

annually on the second Saturday in December.

By Steve Cox

Civil Air Patrol joins thousands of volunteers for annual Arlington tribute

Wreaths AcrossAmerica

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Section 12, one of71 sections in the624-acre cemeterysituated across thePotomac River fromWashington, D.C.,is the resting placefor 10 Medal ofHonor recipients —five from WorldWar II, three fromthe Korean War, onefrom the Civil Warand one from theSpanish-AmericanWar. Additionally,Michael Strank, oneof the six Marinesphotographed raisingthe American flag on Iwo Jima, is buried in Section 12.

“When you look at all those gravesites, you thinkthose are the men and women who protected our free-dom,” said Lt. Col. Jett Mayhew, Civil Air Patrol’snational drug demand reduction team leader. Mayhewcoordinated CAP honor guards for the day’s events.

SHOWING RESPECT More than 75 cadets from CAP’s Maine, Maryland,

National Capital, Oregon, West Virginia and Virginiawings placed wreaths and served as honor guards atArlington and later at similar wreath-laying observancesat the Civil Air Patrol Memorial, the Tomb of theUnknown Soldier and the Women In Military ServiceFor America Memorial. They were joined by Civil AirPatrol National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S.Courter, National Vice Commander Brig. Gen. ReggieChitwood and other CAP senior officers as well as vol-unteers from numerous patriotic organizations, such asthe Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion,the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C., AmericanGold Star Mothers and the Patriot Guard Riders.

Many of the CAP cadets said an opportunity to serveand show their appreciation brought them to Arlington.Cadet Capt. Esther Rea, a member of the Civil Air

Cadet Sr. Master Sgt. Derek Seibel, left, Cadet Sr. Airman Cody

Dewald, Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Kyle Lahr and Cadet Staff Sgt.

Benjamin Stevenson stand with other honor guard cadets

awaiting a wreath-laying ceremony at the Civil Air Patrol

Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. More than 75 cadets

from five CAP wings — some from as far away as Oregon —

participated in Wreaths Across America ceremonies at Arlington.

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Patrol Honor Guard, was there for the fourth time. “It has been a tradition with the honor guard to go to

Arlington,” said Rea, a member of the Maryland Wing’sHagerstown Composite Squadron. “Being with thehonor guard at Arlington is my way of showing respectand honor to those that have made the ultimate sacrificefor this country.”

HONORING THEIR FOREFATHERSOther cadets had more personal reasons for

being there.“Wreaths Across America gives me a sense of

pride and an opportunity to help others,” said Cadet Sr. Master Sgt. Kyle Lahr, also of theHagerstown squadron.

Lahr’s great-grandfather, Col. Richard Henry Lee ofthe U.S. Army Air Corps, a bomber in the Pacific dur-ing World War II, is buried at Arlington.

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“I do this to honor my great-grandfather,” he said.Yet another member of the Hagerstown squadron,

Cadet Master Sgt. Stephen Spinder, came to Arlingtonwith memories of his grandfather, Sgt. Maj. AndySpinder of the U.S. Army’s 69th Infantry Division, whoserved his country during World War II, the KoreanWar and in Vietnam.

“I am here today to honor my grandfather and all thefallen heroes who protected our freedom,” he said.

Cadet Spinder hopes to follow in his grandfather’sfootsteps. He, too, is planning a military career.

A SPECIAL PLACEWreaths Across America was a family affair for

Maryland Wing Cadet Staff Sgt. Daniel Knowles. Threeof his grandparents are buried there, including hisgrandfather, Jack Knowles, who served during WorldWar II and the Korean War.

“I’m proud of him,” said Knowles. “He really helpedmake my dad a special person. He taught him a lotabout honor, which he’s passed along to me.”

Knowles, a cadet in the Bethesda-Chevy ChaseComposite Squadron, is the son of Lt. Col. JohnKnowles, the Maryland Wing’s vice commander.

The Knowles family visits the cemetery every Father’sDay, as well as two or three other times a year. Not onlyis Lt. Col. Knowles’ father buried there, his wife Teri’sgrandmother and grandfather, a World War I veteran,are also there.

“It’s a special place for us,” said Cadet Knowles.

PRAYERS OF THANKSThe day’s events also were meaningful to CAP senior

members like Lt. Col. Wendy White, who came toArlington with thoughts of her own sons who served inAfghanistan and Iraq as part of America’s War on Terror.

“This is the first time I have been to Arlington sinceBrandon was injured, and it was a day of difficult andconflicting emotions for me, especially meetingKathryn Cross and the other Gold Star Mothers,” saidWhite, a member of the Virginia Wing’sFredericksburg Composite Squadron. “I felt over-whelmingly sad for others and incredibly humbled byeach of the families’ stories that were shared and the

indescribable feeling of gratitude and love that my sonwas well and healthy again.”

White’s son, former Fredericksburg squadron Cadet1st Lt. Brandon White, was wounded in an explosion inIraq on April 8, 2007. The Army soldier fractured hiskneecap among other serious injuries, which requirednearly a year of rehab.

“Not a single minute of every day goes by that I donot say a small prayer of thanks and an acknowledge-ment of how much worse our story could have been,”said White, who has an older son, Tommy, who servedabroad in the Navy for six years.

Brandon White, who just turned 23, recentlyreturned to Iraq for yet another deployment. “That’s myboy,” said White, noting her son’s unwavering determi-nation and strong sense of duty.

“I sometimes find myself holding my breath andpraying that his time will be no worse,” said White, whomanages to stay in contact through what she calls “agreat phone plan.”

AN AMAZING EVENTArmy National Guard Pfc. Stephen M. Lincoln Jr.,

also a Civil Air Patrol cadet captain in the MaineWing’s 76th Composite Squadron, had similar feelings,even though he has made the 750-mile trip to Arlingtonmany times with his CAP squadron. Lincoln’s cousin,Pfc. Tyler Croman, another former CAP cadet, is serv-ing as an Army combat medic in Iraq, and Lincolnexpects to be deployed with his Guard unit — the488th Military Police Company of Waterville, Maine —sometime this year.

“I believe there is nothing more amazing than puttingyour life on the line for your country,” said Lincoln. “Ihave yet to make a trip to Arlington that has notbrought tears to my eyes.”

Lincoln was part of a weeklong convoy that broughtthe 10,000 wreaths from Worcester Wreath Co. in

42Civil Air Patrol Volunteer March-April 2009

Background: The Civil Air Patrol Memorial is adorned by one of

10,000 wreaths placed at Arlington as part of Wreaths Across

America, an annual initiative that uses the red-ribboned

evergreen rings to remember, honor and teach about the

service and sacrifices of U.S. veterans.Photo by Lt. Col. Wendy White, Virginia Wing

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Harrington, Maine, to Washington, D.C. The convoy isone of the longest annual veterans’ celebrations, withparades and ceremonies held at more than 20 stopsalong the way. “I don’t think it could be more amazing— everything from the escorts, to the Patriot Guard, tothe people just standing alongside the road showingtheir support by cheering and waving flags,” he said.

NATIONWIDE AND ABROADWhile 10,000 wreaths were placed at Arlington as

part of the Wreaths Across America initiative, otherwreath-laying observances were taking place — many ofthem simultaneously — at 372 other veterans gravesitesand memorials nationwide and at 24 cemeteries andmonuments abroad. Nearly half of the observances wereconducted by Civil Air Patrol, which had 241squadrons nationwide sponsoring wreaths in 2008. Atotal of 180 squadrons were involved in Wreath AcrossAmerica ceremonies.

In all, 105,724 wreaths were placedin 2008 as part of Wreaths AcrossAmerica, which began 17 years agowith a small donation from Morrilland Karen Worcester, owners ofWorcester Wreath Co. Previouslycalled the Arlington NationalCemetery Wreath Project, it wasrenamed Wreaths Across America in2006 and has grown since then,attracting partners like Civil Air Patrol,whose members find patriotic-mindedsponsors for wreaths to remember,honor and teach about the service andsacrifices of America’s veterans.

CAP squadrons sponsored 15,300wreaths for 2008 observances, andtheir work did not go unnoticed.

“The CAP is the largest singlegroup of volunteers we have,” saidthen-U.S. Secretary of VeteransAffairs James B. Peake, one of manydignitaries at Arlington who spokebefore the 10,000 wreaths donated byWorcester Wreath were placed in

Section 12. “The CAP has been tremendous in helpingus. They have 241 squadrons come from every state thatvolunteer to help this cause. Two hundred forty-onesquadrons are proudly represented by 35 to 40 peopleper squadron, so you can see the tremendous volun-teerism.”

Wreaths Across America spokesman Tobin Slaven alsoapplauded the partnership between Worcester Wreathand CAP. “It really has been phenomenal,” he said.“Civil Air Patrol has been a driving force behind WreathsAcross America’s growth over the last several years.”

A HOLIDAY TRADITIONCourter said working with Wreaths Across America is

now a holiday tradition for many of CAP’s 55,600 vol-unteers. Every year, the organization becomes morewidely appreciated for this worthwhile endeavor, muchthe same as the Marines are known for Toys for Tots,

she said.The event attracted considerable

publicity, including a live NBCWashington interview with NationalCapital Wing Director of PublicAffairs Maj. Paul Cianciolo and tele-casts throughout the day that fea-tured a taped morning interviewwith Courter. Other media outlets,including a film crew from nearbyAndrews Air Force Base, Md., alsoshot footage of the day’s events.

“This gives us a terrific opportu-nity to give back to our nation, notonly in the missions we performevery day — search and rescue andour emergency services and ourcadet programs — but also to behere to honor those service memberswho have given their lives in theultimate sacrifice. We thank you,”said Courter, “for this opportunityto work with you.” �

John C. Metzler Jr., superintendentof Arlington National Cemetery, andC. Todd Lopez of the Army NewsService contributed to this report.

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Teri Knowles, center, looks on as

Maryland Wing Vice Commander Lt. Col.

John Knowles, left, and their son, Cadet

Staff Sgt. Daniel Knowles, place a wreath

at the gravesite of Lt. Col. Knowlesʼ father,

a World War II and Korean War veteran.

Teri Knowlesʼ grandfather, a World War I

veteran, and her grandmother are also

buried at Arlington.

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