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| WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA 2018
December 11, 2018 at 12:15 pm  Civil Air Patrol Members To Honor Fallen Service Members at Wreaths Across America Remembrance Ceremony
This year's keynote speaker will be Colonel Jay Rodne, United States Marine Corps (USMC) & 5th Congressional District Representative. Veterans groups, Gold Star Mothers, active duty, reserve, Guard and auxiliary military personnel will participate in the and be in attendance. There will be a USMC Rifle Team from Marine Barracks Joint Base Lewis-McChord for a 21-gun salute, three retired United States Army buglers who will play “(Triple) Taps”, members of the Puget Sound Fire Authority, a Civil Air Patrol Cadet Color Guard, and the Maywood Middle School Choir will sing the National Anthem, God Bless America, and America the Beautiful. The wing’s efforts coincide with Wreaths Across America tributes occurring simultaneously across the nation, including Arlington National Cemetery, where the initiative began 23 years ago with the placement of 5,000 wreaths donated by Morrell Worcester, owner of Harrington, Maine’s Worcester Wreath Co. In 2006, Worcester and his family formed Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit initiative that recognizes the courage and sacrifices of U.S. veterans by placing wreaths on the graves of the fallen during the year-end holiday season. As a major partner in Wreaths Across America, CAP has adorned memorials and veterans’ graves with evergreen wreaths to make sure the sacrifices of the nation’s soldiers are not forgotten. Wreaths Across America ceremonies are conducted largely by CAP wings and squadrons with the help of veterans’ organizations; private citizens; the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C., which annually assists with the laying of wreaths at Arlington; and the Patriot Guard Riders. Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. CAP’s 60,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 25,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.
Locally, Washington volunteers operate a fleet of 23 vehicles and 14 aircraft (Cessna 172s, 182s, and a 206, as well as 2 Blanik gliders) for inland search and rescue missions and cadet orientation flight instruction. The wing is comprised of 766 adult members (ages 18+) and 706 cadets (ages 12-21), organized into 27 squadrons, who contributed a value of $5.4 million in volunteer hours to their local communities and the citizens of Washington in 2017. Visit www.wawgcap.org for more information.
Thank you for joining us for Wreaths Across America 2017. There were an estimated 1,200 people in attendance!
 Left: Colonel Rebecca J. Sonkiss, USAF, Commander, 62nd Airlift Wing, McChord Field, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, meets with CAP 2d Lt Dennis W. Smith of Renton Composite Squadron, and thanks him for his service to the United States. (WA Wing CAP Photo). Top Right: The Air Force Memorial at Wreaths Across America 2017 (WA Wing CAP Photo).
Bottom Right: Noncommissioned officers from the United States Marine Corps render a 21-gun salute for Wreaths Across America at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, WA (WA Wing CAP Photo).
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