O’Fallon Rotary Club honors deceased veterans with wreath ceremony
In joining with other civic, military service, educational and community groups throughout the country, the O’Fallon Rotary Club honored deceased veterans by placing Christmas wreaths at gravesites in the city and Shiloh on Saturday, Dec. 14.
This is the third year the Rotary Club participated and raised more than $8,000 to purchase 740 wreaths to honor veterans buried in three O’Fallon cemeteries and two Shiloh cemeteries.
Local Scouts placed the wreaths at O’Fallon City Cemetery (333 wreaths), North O’Fallon Cemetery near Troy/Scott Road (25 wreaths), O’Fallon Historical Cemetery toward Lebanon near the cement company (five wreaths), St. Clare Catholic Cemetery on Lebanon Avenue in Shiloh (333) and Shiloh Cemetery across from the Methodist Church (44 wreaths).
National Wreaths Across America Day has been observed annually for the last 27 years in December in cemeteries across America.
“Remember. Honor. Teach” is its mission. Wreaths Across America strives to remember fallen heroes, honor those who serve, and teach children about the selfless sacrifices made by veterans and their families to preserve freedom, said John “Woody” Almind, a retired Air Force colonel, who has been chair of this Rotary program for the past three years.
Afterwards, Almind commented the event was a total success.
“Please mark your calendars for next year’s ceremony during the third Saturday in December of 2020 (11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19). Wreaths Across America is committed to teaching younger generations the value of their freedoms, and the importance of honoring those who sacrificed so much to protect those freedoms,” Almind said.
“Some of you may have heard about the significance of the ‘dash’ on graveyard headstones. Here’s how it goes. When a person passes on, the headstone has two dates on it. The day they were born, and the day they died. What we need to focus on is the dash in the middle. How we live our lives between the date we were born and the day we die is what’s most important. How did these men and women we honor today live their dash? We know they lived part of their lives in the service to our great nation,” Almind said.
“I am extremely thankful that I live in a country where our citizens honor their veterans on days such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Veterans Day, and on a day like today. When each wreath is placed down by a gravestone, it is a symbol acknowledging the sacrifices these service members have given on behalf of our country,” Almind said.
Koriath gives invocation, Goodwin is master of ceremonies
O’Fallon Rotarian Mary Alice Koriath gave the invocation that was originally delivered by American singer/songwriter Ann M. Wolf at a Wreaths Across America event in 2015.
The Rotary Club received tremendous community support and donated $3,000 to the project. Phil Goodwin, a retired Air Force colonel and Rotarian, was the master of ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 14.
“We’d like to give thanks to the very generous organizations, businesses and families listed in your program for contributing funds to make this event possible. We’d like to particularly thank the O’Fallon VFW, the O’Fallon Township High School Jr. ROTC Cadets and all the Boy and Girl Scouts participating in today’s solemn ceremony,” Goodwin said.
“As you leave here today, know that your very presence here at this ceremony has honored those in their final resting place. We must continue to remember, to honor, and to teach the next generation,” Almind said.
Mayor speaks, discusses Rotary’s history
O’Fallon Mayor Herb Roach, also a Rotarian, spoke of the Rotary Club’s history in O’Fallon and their involvement in community service projects for 90 years.
“The O’Fallon Rotary Club was instrumental in building our beloved Katy Cavins Community Center as well as several projects out at Rock Springs Park to include the cabin, playground and Dog Park. Our club recently built a fire pit and pavilion out at Rock Springs Park which was completed in the spring of 2018,” he said.
Roach also noted O’Fallon’s “outstanding relationship” with Scott AFB, the biggest employer in Southern Illinois with more than 12,000 employees.
“We’re very proud to have many of those 12,000 employees’ families living in our awesome community and enrolled in our phenomenal schools. With 40 veterans in our Rotary Club, we’re also very active with Veterans Affairs to include active support of This Able Veteran (TAV) providing service dogs for veterans with PTSD. So again, it gives me great pride to preside over this outstanding ceremony honoring our veterans,” he said.
Others taking part in the ceremony included O’Fallon VFW Post 805, O’Fallon Township High School Marching Panthers, local Cub Scout Packs 36, 46 and 47, Boy Scout Troop 94, Girl Scout Troops 242 and 934, NGA Veterans Council, Cub Scout Pack 586 and Girl Scout Troop 57, both of Fairview Heights, DAR and OTHS JROTC cadets.
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 1:51 PM.