Steuben County – On a morning where the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the Western New York area, it still didn’t deter hearty CSEA members who came out in force to attend the national Wreaths Across America event held at the Bath National Cemetery and VA Medical Center, Bath, NY.
The Wreaths Across America effort is anchored by several wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as more than 1,400 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad. The mission of the event is to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach younger generations the value of freedom.
As the clock struck noon, complete silence fell over a crowd of more than one thousand people as Veterans and volunteers bowed their heads in unison to honor past and present members of the United States Armed Forces. A steady, solemn pouring rain didn’t intimidate the genial volunteers from their mission. Organizers estimate volunteers placed more than 5,000 wreaths at headstones and monuments at the cemetery.
Among the throng were dozens of CSEA Veterans and family members ready and willing to lay wreaths and show support as part of the national effort. Several CSEA families traveled more than one hundred miles to volunteer for the cause.
Western Region President Bob Pyjas lays a wreath.
CSEA Western Region President Bob Pyjas said he was very impressed and proud of our members for showing up in large numbers today. “The Wreaths Across America event is a terrific way to honor our Veterans past and present. To be part of something like this is truly a humbling experience.”
Tim Finnigan, a CSEA member from Livingston County who served in the United States Army from 1981-90, said the ceremony was very impactful. “It was very heartwarming to see so many people willing to honor our Armed Forces. After we finished the wreath-laying, it was an awesome site to scan the landscape and see what we accomplished in just a short period of time. I loved being part of this.”
The Wreaths Across America project started in Maine in 1992 when the family who owned the Worcester Wreath Company found themselves with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season. They realized they had an opportunity to honor our country’s Veterans and arrangements were made for the wreaths to be placed at the Washington Arlington National Cemetery in one of the older sections of the cemetery.
The Bath VA Medical Center and National Cemetery, located approximately 80 miles south of Rochester, was established in 1877 as the New York State Soldiers Home. The National Cemetery was established in 1873. Some markers date back to the Civil War, including the burial plots of five Medal of Honor recipients. The cemetery is still in operation to this day.
Story & Photos by Ove Overmyer
