Veterans and members of the Sea Cadets from Fallon and Fernley bow their heads Saturday during the opening prayer for Wreaths Across America.
Photo by Steve Ranson.
Saturday morning, Vietnam veteran Nick Hidek sat in his rollator looking at the headstones of loved ones.
Hidek attended the annual Wreaths Across America at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley to honor and remember family members, friends or complete strangers and to teach others the meaning of service and sacrifice.
“I love the program, and I donate money I can afford,” Hidek said after the ceremony when others were placing wreaths. “My wife (Margaret) is here, my father-in-law is here. He served as a bombardier in the second world war.”
Hidek, who fought with the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam, said the turnout was wonderful.
“I come out here once a week,” said Hidek. He and Margaret moved to Fernley in 2015 to be closer to their daughter and her family.
Hidek was one of thousands attending this year’s Wreaths Across America presented by the Nevada Veterans Coalition. Navy veteran Rich Crombie, a member of the coalition and narrator, emphasized the need to remember the men and women who served their country but are no longer with their loved ones this holiday season.
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Steve Ezzell places a wreath for the USMC as Sea Cadet Connor Brock watches. Ezzell and Brock are from Fallon. Steve Ranson/LVN
NVC chaplain Fred Wilson noted the loved ones who are no longer with their families, but he said they all had one thing in common.
“When the soldier serves, the family serves,” he said.
Wilson then cited the words of President Reagan.
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
Tyler Huckaby and Elliott Hunter, both Sea Cadets who participated in the wreath laying, said the ceremony is needed to remember sacrifice and the duty to serve.
“For me, we do have a family member laid out here, and I assist to honor them,” said Huckaby, a senior at Churchill County High School who will enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard after graduation.
The Sea Cadet’s former leader, retired Army Lt. Col. Henry “Hank” Wohle, died in June.
“It is bittersweet. It really is,” Huckaby said. “He (Wohle) taught us to not only honor those who have passed but those who are serving or are retired.”
Hunter, a first-year cadet and a seventh-grader at Agape Church School, said it’s good for the volunteers to remember the departed veterans.
“It’s good we speak their names, and it gives us an opportunity to know them,” he said.
The morning provided Sparks resident Cindy Porath an opportunity to honor her father, an Army veteran.
“He saw a lot of action in the South Pacific,” she said, adding he didn’t say much about his service. “As he got older, he would go to the reunions. It meant a lot to him and to us.”
Porath, whose husband served in the U.S. Air Force, said conditions were harsh for the World War II veterans. She said her father suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and rarely talked about his time in the Army.
Larry Porath said WAA is “an excellent vehicle” to teach young people about service to country and sacrifice.
“There are a lot of people who haven’t served, so they don’t have a direct connection,” he said. “But many of them have had a grandfather (who served). It’s important to hear about the sacrifices generations have made before them to keep us free.”
Crombie thanked the visitors who attended the remembrance despite the weather. He said all kinds of weather from rain, wind and cloudy skies didn’t stop friends and family members from placing wreaths.
“People were still here, and they stood up in the elements,” he added.
He said when the Patriot Guard Riders formed their flag line, an epic rainbow formed to the north of the cemetery and the clouds parted.
“We had a lot of kids and that’s good to see because we have to show them what it’s about,” he said. “What does it mean to serve? What does it mean to love your country and honor the veterans who come before them? I think they got that message.”