Giving Honor to our Santa Fe veterans by giving a wreaths at the Santa Fe National Cemetery

Wreaths Across America started in 1992, when a wreath company in Maine had a surplus of Christmas wreaths. Their mission statement is to Remember, Honor and Teach this carried out by coordinating wreaths through a process from the forest, to the truck to the cemetery.

The Knights of Columbus started out in the morning, Wednesday, December 11 at 7:30 AM from La Bajada Rest Area to the Santa Fe National Cemetery via the frontage Road, 599 and Saint Francis Drive, the convoy following the semi-truck with 4,500 wreaths to be laid Saturday. Going 40 miles an hour we had traffic backed up for miles but the feeling in the escort with the sirens flying by to get to their next post and people taking pictures and our country flag draped from the overpasses gave us a feeling of great pride, honor and respect for our country and those who have paid the ultimate price and sacrifice.

Friday, December 13, we picked up the wreaths from the ground and put them on trailers to stage them for Saturday’s event.

Saturday, December 14 we started it off the ceremony with the VFW giving the 21 gun salute, and Taps; Santa Fe ROTC, giving the Flag honors, bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace" by The American Legion and the Gold Star Mothers giving honor to all the branches of the service by placing a wreath at each station. After the invocation and the speakers, 400-500 volunteers then gave our veterans a gift by placing the wreaths on the graves with a prayer of remembrance and honor.

We would like to thank the Knights of Columbus from from San Isidro Council 16601 Greg Lopez, Vince Andres, Danny Narvaiz - Santa Maria Council 10517, Bob Wolf, Michael Ossola, Mark Young, Luis Martinez,  Raymond Martinez - Santa Fe Assembly 685, Simon Reed and Mike Specht - San Ignacio Assembly 3732 John Cordova and District Marshall Roger Martinez gave the honors.