Volunteers place nearly 13,000 wreaths at Boulder City’s veterans cemetery
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Sharon Chiaramonte was walking by each veteran’s gravesite on Saturday. A trek she has done for the past 5 years at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery for its Wreaths Across America program is a holiday ritual.
“They gave their life for us to make it a safe place for us to live. I want to thank them and all those who are serving now to thank them for their service,” Chiaramonte said. “I’ve been coming for the last five years since my husband passed. I put a wreath at his site.”
Hundreds of volunteers showed up at the cemetery in Boulder City placing wreaths on veterans’ tombstones.
Chiaramonte stood apart because she appeared to be muttering under her breath, but she was really reading the names on the gravestones.
“As I was walking back to my car, I noticed that a lot of the markers did not have wreaths placed at them,” Chiaramonte said. “I didn’t know if they’d receive wreaths, so I just wanted to say their names and thank them for their service.”
Nearly 13,000 wreaths were placed on Saturday as part of the Wreaths Across America program, thanks to generous donors. Nationwide, more than 4,000 locations participated.
Yet, organizers in Boulder City say this is still well short of their goal.
“It’s a tribute to you and our community for the unwavering commitment to one day cover the entire cemetery of 35,000 men and women of all branches of our great military,” Nevada Wing Civil Air Patrol Maj. Michael Lipka said during a ceremony.
Wreaths Across America donated 5,000 more wreaths than they did last year to Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, which was a record.
Carol Connell, a recent Las Vegas transplant from Wisconsin, was among the army of volunteers who marched on Saturday morning from grave to grave.
“I have family members that we have lost to the wars. It tugs at my heart, that’s probably my biggest charity in life, is our vets they did so much for us, and I just want to come back and honor them,” Connell said.
Aiyana Castro, 15, was also there making sure the bow on the wreath she laid was just right.
“I know how hard they’ve worked and some of them have even sacrificed their lives, so it’s important to honor them,” Castro said.
Roberto Morales, who was deployed to Iraq in 2003, attended with his son and felt encouraged by the crowd.
“When you come to events like this, you can see how the community gets together,” Morales said.
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