Wreaths Across America comes to Minot

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephanie Morris
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  On Dec. 13, 2014, National Wreaths Across America Day, live balsam remembrance wreaths will be placed on the headstones of fallen veterans at nearly 1,000 locations across the country and overseas. 
Locally, a remembrance ceremony will be held at Rosehill Memorial Park Cemetery in Minot, North Dakota, to honor the 235 service members buried there.
Master Sgt. Leonard Laporte, Minot Air Force Base WAA coordinator hopes to have at least 273 wreaths sponsored and placed at the cemetery and memorial sites this year.
The WAA's mission, "remember, honor and teach," is carried out each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington and at hundreds of veterans' cemeteries and monuments.

The WAA Ceremony is held across the country at hundreds of national and state cemeteries on the same day and at the same time.  This coincides with the laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

"There will be seven ceremonial wreaths that will be displayed on monuments where veterans' graves are unable to be decorated due to their stones being flat and covered by snow," Laporte said.  "We are hoping to place 19 additional wreaths at the Medal of Honor memorial site located at the Roosevelt Park and Zoo."

Laporte also stated, all those who sponsor a wreath are welcome to attend this event and place their wreath on a veterans' grave designated in the section 12 area of the cemetery.  The Minot Civil Air Patrol will also be placing wreaths.
"All ages are welcome to attend," Laporte said. "Wreaths are placed immediately following the ceremony, which will last about 20 minutes. The ceremony is entirely outdoors, so please be prepared for weather of all kinds.

The American Legion Post 26 and the Civil Air Patrol, Magic City Composite Squadron, are set to begin the event at 11 a.m.
"Our vision is to one day have a wreath for every veteran's grave in section 12 and monuments in designated veteran's sections that have flat graves at Rosehill Memorial Park Cemetery," Laporte said. "We chose section 12 because it is the oldest veteran's section in Rosehill. It has standing stones and because some date back to the Civil War, they no longer receive visitors. This is a way we can show our appreciation for what they have done."

For more information regarding the event please contact Master Sgt. Leonard J. Laporte at 701-240-4387