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Veterans honored during wreath laying ceremony

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephanie Morris
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  A gentle breeze carried the smell of balsam and pine through the air at Rosehill Memorial Park Cemetery in Minot, North Dakota, as spectators huddled close to each other during a ceremony. The crowd is silent and solemn as they stand in a "u"shape around several ceremonial wreaths adorned with vibrant red ribbons and flags for each branch of the military.

The gathered masses came together Dec. 13, 2014, National Wreaths Across America Day, to remember and honor approximately 235 service members buried at Rosehill and 19 at Roosevelt Park Cemetary by laying wreaths at their headstones.

"Our goal this year was to make the local community aware," said Master Sgt. Leonard Laporte, Minot Air Force Base WAA coordinator.  "We wanted to remind the community that thinking about veterans should not be reserved for Memorial Day and Veterans Day.  Everyone should take a couple of minutes out of their busy schedules to remember those who have protected our right to celebrate the holidays as we choose."

Laporte explained the ceremony was such a large undertaking that his group thought it would take three years to reach their goal of placing over 250 wreaths during the event. Instead, they blew that number out of the water, exceeding their goal by over 100 wreath, even though this was the first time Minot had hosted the event.

Three hundred twelve wreaths were placed at Rosehill and Roosevelt Park, an additional 57 "personal wreaths" were purchased and laid by individuals on graves of their loved ones.  Nearly half of those were sponsored by a veterans group and went to Mohall North Dakota to celebrate their veterans.

In addition to the wreaths that were placed at cemeteries in Minot, people across the country and overseas, at nearly 1,000 locations, also placed live balsam remembrance wreaths on the headstones of fallen veterans.

The event was made possible due to the large amount of service members from the base and other organizations who volunteered to assist with placing the wreaths on monuments and grave sites.

According to Laporte, approximately 40 active duty members volunteered their time and service to make the event a success.

"When I first heard about Wreaths Across America, I thought was an awesome event. It made me happy that we were doing this as one big military family to remember those who came before and gave so much," said Airman 1st Class Rebekah Oyerbides, 5th Medical Group mental health technician.

Oyerbides stated that, though many of her family members had served in the military, she was fortunate enough to have grown up with them in her life. She explained that knowing many veterans' families have their time with their loved ones cut short made her grateful that she had been able to enjoy the company of her family.

In addition to active duty military members and local volunteers, there were also a small number of veterans present who laid wreaths at the graves of those who shared their service.

One such veteran from Velva North Dakota, Melvin Venstad, sergeant of arms for the Post 39 American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, spent a great deal of time locating and placing wreaths on the headstones of Army veterans.

"Four of my uncles were in World War I and another four were in World War II -- and that's just on my side of the family," Venstad said gesturing to his wife who had more than 20 veterans in her family.

Staff Sgt. Kelsey Villarreal, 5th Maintenance Group quality insurance inspector, expressed that she attended the event on behalf of the Air Force Sergeants Association because she felt it was a great way to honor Minot's veterans.

"This is a good cause, and I wanted to be a part of it," Villarreal said, her hands turning pink from the cold, as she remained at the site to attach strings to the wreaths to keep them from blowing away long after many of the spectators and other volunteers had left.

Laporte explained that he volunteered to help plan the event due to a family history filled with relatives who had served in the military. He said that, as the son of a veteran, he wanted to do his part to establish a community event that honors veterans, past and present.

"I want everyone to remember and honor the veterans before us, we need to teach the next generation the value of freedom and the selfless sacrifices of those veterans," Laporte said.  "I was familiar with this program back when it was still called the 'Arlington Project,'  and I felt it was a very powerful way for Minot to remember our vets."

Next year, the group's goal is to help spread the event even farther to new communities in the area.

"We are the third location to be registered in North Dakota after Mandan and Fargo," Laporte said.  "Interestingly, we've already been contacted by two organizations about holding their own WAA ceremonies here in the surrounding communities. In January, we will start our planning for next year's event."

For more information about the Wreaths Across America program, or to volunteer your time to assist with planning for next year contact Master Sgt. Leonard Laporte at 701-240-4387.