Wreaths and Gold Star Tree Return to Lake Benson Park
The Garner Veterans Memorial is decorated with wreaths in honor of the community men who died while in military service and other military men who died in our community while serving. The families of those men are honored with a Gold Star family tree.
The Garner Veterans Memorial is decorated with wreaths in honor of the community men who died while in military service and other military men who died in our community while serving. The families of those men are honored with a Gold Star family tree.
The annual ceremony, which usually includes bagpipes and representatives from each military branch, was cancelled this year because of the pandemic, but the wreaths are up and the Gold Star tree is decorated.
“This is something that we think is important to our community,” said Jeff Hicks, who helped decorate the tree. “We didn’t want to have the ceremony out of an abundance of caution, but we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to honor those who paid the ultimate price.”
The event is sponsored by Show N Tell Ministries.
The Garner Optimist Club donated the tree and the five wreaths and Garner Florist donated the wreath bows. The Town of Garner erected the tree and hung the wreaths on the memorial using specially designed hangers fabricated by the town.
Each man who is listed on the Garner Memorial has his own star. Last year stars were added for the men who died in our community during the Civil War and during World War II. All of the World War II casualties here were airmen.
In addition, Gold Star families from the area have come to past events to hang a star for their loved one.
The wreaths and the tree will remain up until after Christmas.
Garner’s Heroes Remembered and Honored
Garner’s hometown heroes were remembered and honored on Saturday, Dec. 21 as the community gathered at Lake Benson Park for the Garner Veterans Memorial Wreath Laying and Gold Star Tree Ceremony.
Garner’s hometown heroes were remembered and honored on Saturday, Dec. 21 as the community gathered at Lake Benson Park for the Garner Veterans Memorial Wreath Laying and Gold Star Tree Ceremony.
Each branch of the U.S. military was represented as warriors, past and present, entered the memorial carrying a wreath to celebrate sacrifices, past and present.
“We do not decorate this memorial with wreaths. These wreaths are symbolic of our remembrance of the courage and devotion to duty of those who are celebrated here,” said U.S. Army Major General Charles Scott (retired).
The military escort followed the Town of Garner honor guard and bagpiper Jeffrey Hammerstein, the assistant chief of the Wake County EMS. Hammerstein’s haunting notes set a somber, but uplifting atmosphere.
The Garner Veterans Memorial is an interactive monument. The names, ranks and service are recorded of each of the 66 community men who died while in military service. Their sacrifice is listed by their wars, ranging from the Civil War to the War on Terror.
The five wreaths, provided by the Garner Optimist club, were placed in front of panels explaining military action in each decade, beginning with the Revolutionary War. The wreaths were later moved to the large panels.
The families of the 66 men listed on the memorial also had an engraved gold star placed in their honor on the Gold Star Tree. Gold stars also were placed on the tree in honor of the families of the 19 men who perished in our community while on their military mission.
“The gold stars are a way of honoring the families of the men and women who die in war,” Scott said.
The military escort placed an ornament on the tree in honor of the grieving families and the gold star families who were present had the opportunity to place stars in honor of their loved ones. About a dozen additional stars were added.
“It was much more moving that I had imagined,” said Erik Shepard, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and in the U.S. Army, including tours in Iraq and in Afghanistan. “This event shows that we haven’t forgotten the sacrifices that have been made for us.”
Recently retired U.S. Marine Corps Captain Trey Grissom, a Garner Magnet high graduate, often participated in military functions and at funerals at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., during his enlistment.
“It is good to be able to participate in an event that honors men from my hometown,” Grissom said. “The families of these men know that their community has not forgotten them.”
The Wreath Laying and Gold Star Tree Ceremony was organized by Show N Tell Ministries and sponsored by the Town of Garner and the Garner Veterans Advisory Council. The Garner Optimist Club provided the wreaths and the tree.
Garner Pauses on December 21st for Wreath Laying and Gold Star Family Recognition
Garner pauses to recognize our military sacrifices and Gold Star families
Wreaths will be hung at the Garner Veterans Memorial and our Gold Star families will be recognized on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m., at Lake Benson Park. The public is invited.
Wreaths will be hung at the Garner Veterans Memorial and our Gold Star families will be recognized on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m., at Lake Benson Park. The public is invited.
2018 Wreath Laying Ceremony
The wreaths, one each for the five branches of service, will be placed at the memorial by military personnel. Two members of the honor guard from Seymour Johnson Air Force base, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Bani Bunyan, recently retired U.S. Marine Capt. Trey Grissom, U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer George F. Lauff, Jr.; U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class Jason Trail and U.S. Army Major General Charles Scott (retired) are expected to form the military escort.
Bagpipes played by Jeff Hammerstein will lead the Town of Garner's Honor Guard to the memorial.
After the wreaths are hung, each of the escort will hang a star on the tree in honor of the families of the men represented by the gold stars. The public is invited to hang stars in honor of the families of the loved one who died while in military service.
Sixty-six stars already are hanging on the tree in honor of the 66 community men who were killed while in the military.
Recognizing Garner’s Vietnam Veterans
There will be special recognition of our Vietnam veterans.
Eight men from the community were killed in Vietnam.
The Wall That Heals, a traveling ¾ scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, will visit Lake Benson Park on April 16-19. The Wall that Heals is 400-foot long and 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. It is expected to be located near the Garner Veterans Memorial.
The Wall That Heals travels with a mobile learning center.
Learn more about The Wall That Heals visit to Garner below.