Garner’s hometown heroes were remembered and honored on Saturday, Dec. 21 as the community gathered at Lake Benson Park for the Garner Veterans Memorial Wreath Laying and Gold Star Tree Ceremony.
Each branch of the U.S. military was represented as warriors, past and present, entered the memorial carrying a wreath to celebrate sacrifices, past and present.
“We do not decorate this memorial with wreaths. These wreaths are symbolic of our remembrance of the courage and devotion to duty of those who are celebrated here,” said U.S. Army Major General Charles Scott (retired).
The military escort followed the Town of Garner honor guard and bagpiper Jeffrey Hammerstein, the assistant chief of the Wake County EMS. Hammerstein’s haunting notes set a somber, but uplifting atmosphere.
The Garner Veterans Memorial is an interactive monument. The names, ranks and service are recorded of each of the 66 community men who died while in military service. Their sacrifice is listed by their wars, ranging from the Civil War to the War on Terror.
The five wreaths, provided by the Garner Optimist club, were placed in front of panels explaining military action in each decade, beginning with the Revolutionary War. The wreaths were later moved to the large panels.
The families of the 66 men listed on the memorial also had an engraved gold star placed in their honor on the Gold Star Tree. Gold stars also were placed on the tree in honor of the families of the 19 men who perished in our community while on their military mission.
“The gold stars are a way of honoring the families of the men and women who die in war,” Scott said.
The military escort placed an ornament on the tree in honor of the grieving families and the gold star families who were present had the opportunity to place stars in honor of their loved ones. About a dozen additional stars were added.
“It was much more moving that I had imagined,” said Erik Shepard, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and in the U.S. Army, including tours in Iraq and in Afghanistan. “This event shows that we haven’t forgotten the sacrifices that have been made for us.”
Recently retired U.S. Marine Corps Captain Trey Grissom, a Garner Magnet high graduate, often participated in military functions and at funerals at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., during his enlistment.
“It is good to be able to participate in an event that honors men from my hometown,” Grissom said. “The families of these men know that their community has not forgotten them.”
The Wreath Laying and Gold Star Tree Ceremony was organized by Show N Tell Ministries and sponsored by the Town of Garner and the Garner Veterans Advisory Council. The Garner Optimist Club provided the wreaths and the tree.