Thanks to the efforts of various groups in the area, including the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, the graves of deceased veterans will again be honored in Oxford and elsewhere this December with a wreath laying, as seen here from the 2013 event.
OXFORD — The American Legion Roy W. Gibson Post 535 will again sponsor this year’s Wreaths Across America (WAA) event, planned for Saturday, Dec. 13. The community is invited to attend the Noon ceremony at the Oxford Cemetery, 220 N. 3rd Street, to coincide with the national ceremony. Participants will meet at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church next to the Oxford Cemetery by 11:30 am and process to the cemetery with the Honor Guard from Post 535 at 11:45 am.
The WAA mission and theme for 2014 is “Remember, Honor, Teach – Don’t Say I Should Have, Say I Did!” and in that vein, the community is encouraged to sponsor wreaths to place on veteran’s graves during the event. Interested parties can visit the WAA website at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org and sponsor wreaths that will be sent directly to the Oxford location and find out more about this important cause.
Event organizer, Laura Sperratore, of Cochranville, commented that “the collaboration with the Chester County Sheriff’s Office last year was critical to raising enough funds to place a wreath on every veteran’s grave in Oxford Cemetery and nearby Beulah Baptist Church in Upper Oxford, and many more at Mt. Zion Church in Atglen. With the continued support of the Sheriff’s Office, I am confident we will have another successful event this year.”
Last year, many community members got involved to help prepare and lay wreaths including the Leathernecks Motorcycle Club, the Lancaster County Young Marines, many Boy Scout troops and their parents, and veterans who helped with event logistics as well as participate in the ceremony.
This year’s event will begin with a moment of silence at Noon, when the first of 28,000 wreaths will be laid in Arlington National Cemetery and other sites nationwide. The American Legion Post 535 Honor Guard will perform a 21-gun salute before 7 ceremonial wreaths will be laid by representatives of each branch: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, and POW/MIA.
Sperratore added that “she was impressed with the early support of many local businesses and organizations in and around Southern Chester County who have already donated to the cause this year including the event sponsor, American Legion Post 535, Oxford Plumbing and Heating, the Delco Cruisers Car Club, and the Ruffenach Family Funeral Home.”
Laura Sperratore can be reached at 484-667-8397 or by email at Lsperr57@gmail.com for more information on how to get involved in this effort.
