Volunteers lay wreaths at Mount Olivet Cemetery to honor veterans
Dec. 18—The Cub Scouts of Pack 628 moved through the rows of Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick Saturday, searching for graves marked with small American flags. On each one, they would place a small wreath to mark the resting place of a veteran.
Colton Stachewicz, 9, and his brother Chad, 6, stopped with their dad, Craig Stachewicz, at the tombstone of John N. Montgomery, who served in the War of 1812.
They read his name and laid down a green wreath with a red bow before moving on.
The pack, based out of New Market, had come to participate in the Wreaths Across America event as a way to give back to the community and honor veterans, said Cub Master Bryan Eccleston.
For the fifth year in a row, more than 300 volunteers spread out through the cemetery to place wreaths on the graves of the more than 4,000 veterans buried there.
After a short ceremony, Eccleston and Stachewicz took a moment to explain the significance of the event to the scouts.
It's not a race, Eccleston told them. He said it was important to be respectful and take a moment to reflect on the service of the veterans they were honoring.
They would be placing 4,383 wreaths on the graves of veterans who fought in conflicts ranging from the Revolutionary War to the modern day, said Chris Haugh, manager of community relations and historic preservation at the cemetery.
The event started at Arlington National Cemetery outside of Washington, D.C. and has spread to locations around the country, Haugh said.
While this was the fifth year Mount Olivet Cemetery has participated, it was the fourth year for Sylvia Sears, who helped organize the event.
"Each year, we try to get a little better," she said.
Along with the Frederick event, wreaths would also be laid at cemeteries in Thurmont, Mount Airy, Utica, and Walkersville, she said.
Sears said she's always humbled and honored to be able to do something for veterans.
"This is just a small thing that I can do to say thank you," she said.
