Gulf Breeze News

Promote Your Page Too

Splash! Magazine

Promote Your Page Too

Poll

Will you attend the Gulf Breeze Celebrates the Arts Festival this weekend?

Yes, I go every year

No

View results

Gulf Breeze residents help place Christmas wreaths at NAS

Submitted photo Christmas wreaths adorn grave sites at Barrancas National Cemetery at Pensacola Naval Air Station.
An endless sea of balsam
rounds,
Of red bows barely sweeping
the grounds.
In the snow-covered path of
gently laid graves.
Lies the heart and soul of so
many braves.

I lay them down one by one,
thinking what a good thing I
have just done.
As each wreath is carefully
laid, a million words are
thought and prayed.

These are the words of a young girl after her visit to the Wreaths Across America Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

Her poem, titled 'Arlington,' poetically describes the powerful visual of thousands of wreaths laid at the graves of so many fallen soldiers.

The poem also could describe the scene at Barrancas National Cemetery aboard NAS Pensacola on Saturday, Dec. 13 as hundreds gathered to honor our veterans' sacrifices.

Harriman What began in 1992 with a trailer load of wreaths, decorated by volunteers and laid at the graves in Arlington National Cemetery has now become a nationwide mission to honor the sacrifice of our fallen soldiers and to Remember, Honor, and Teach children the value of freedom in the world today.

"So many people's sacrifices get overlooked," said Gulf Breeze resident Bette Harriman. "It's just a very patriotic thing to do to recognize our fallen heroes."

Buster Hartford, the nephew of the program's creator, Morrill Worcester, retired after 16 years of service in the Navy to coordinate the Barrancas ceremony.

"This is the third year we've done it at Barrancas, and I've been here for all three," Hartford said.

Barrancas is one of more than 350 participating state and national veterans cemeteries around the country. Each location allows donors to sponsor a wreath to be laid at the grave of a national hero.

Harriman and her husband, Bob, have sponsored three wreaths this year.

"I found out about the program through my involvement with the Baptist Health Care Foundation," Harriman explained. "It caught my attention because my son was in Iraq at the time."

Her son, Seth Gulsby, recently returned from Iraq and was recognized in the Dec. 11 issue of the 'Gulf Breeze News.' H a r r i m abelieves Wreaths Across America has great potential for growth in the area. "This is such big military area, so I think it would gain a lot more support if people found out about it," Harriman said.

This year, more than 350 locations participated and 100,000 wreaths were placed in honor of Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

"This is the best year we've had," Hartford said. "We had over 500 people at the ceremony, and we put out about 900 wreaths. That's about double what we put out last year, and I hope next year is even better."

Though it is too late to sponsor a wreath this year, those interested will soon have the opportunity to donate for the 2009 ceremony.

"The sponsoring of wreaths for 2009 will begin sometime in January," Hartford said.

To purchase a sponsorship, visit the Wreaths Across America Web site at www.wreaths-across- america.org.