Kudos to the Carson City Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol for carrying the torch for this year’s Wreaths Across America honoring veteran’s at the Lone Mountain Cemetery. This is a very special annual ceremony honoring veterans throughout the U.S. and overseas.
In 2015 I attended the laying of wreaths at the veteran’s cemetery in Fernley. They appeared to have extra wreaths so I asked if I could carry one to Carson City to place on the grave of my father-in-law, Walter Johnson, Major Retired, U.S. Army. I was told no wreaths could leave the cemetery.
The following year my sister-in-law, Cathy Jackson, coordinated with the veteran’s cemetery in Fernley to get extra wreaths for our veterans’ graves at Lone Mountain Cemetery in Carson City.
As a result of her efforts, in 2016 we were able to place more than 300 wreaths on veterans’ graves. It was our hope that a local organization would step forward to sponsor this event in the future and the Civil Air Patrol accepted the task.
They did not get enough sponsors this year to lay a wreath on each veteran grave site, but hopefully next year more Carson City residents will step up and sponsor a wreath so they will have enough to honor all our veterans interred at Lone Mountain Cemetery.
Carl Hopper
Colonel Retired, U.S. Army
