Gate of Heaven Ceremony to Honor Soldiers Killed in Combat
A national program is coming to Mount Pleasant this weekend to remember veterans who never returned while fighting in wars dating back to the American Revolution.
A Wreaths Across America ceremony has been scheduled for this Saturday, Dec. 16 at noon at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, located at 10 W. Stevens Ave. The program is being presented locally by the Daughters of Liberty’s Legacy (DOLL), which is dedicated to preserving history and promoting patriotism.
It is the first time that Gate of Heaven will be hosting the ceremony for the Westchester observance. Wreaths will be placed at graves in seven locations throughout the county. Ceremonies will also be conducted at more than 1,200 locations throughout the United States on Saturday.
DOLL was co-founded four years ago by North Castle residents Cynthia Abbott Kauffman and Debra Palazzo. The two co-founders are descended from soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War.
“With the number of wreaths we have this year and the volunteers who would like to help, we chose Gate of Heaven,” Kauffman explained. “It lets us have the ceremony and have volunteers help to place many wreaths in one location. We will then go to the other locations to place the rest of the wreaths.”
The organization conducts extensive research to learn where local soldiers were killed in combat in America’s wars and where they are buried so they can receive a wreath at their grave, Kauffman said. The nonprofit organization is purchasing more than 200 wreaths for the Westchester County gravesites.
Wreaths Across America was started in 1992 by Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company in Maine, when he realized he had a surplus of merchandise nearing the end of the holiday season.
Worcester had visited Arlington National Cemetery when he was 12 years old and recalled the impact that visit had on him years later. He reached out to then-U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, who made arrangements to have his wreaths placed on stones in the older sections of Arlington National that were receiving few visitors.
In 2005, images of the wreaths covered in snow around Christmas circulated online. Soon after, organizations around the United States began arranging for wreaths to be placed at gravesites of deceased local soldiers.
One day in December each year is now designated as National Wreaths Across America Day when the ceremonies are held nationwide.
In addition to this effort, DOLL also holds a variety of historical-related programs throughout the year, including the Colonial Trolley Tour of Historic White Plains where participants visit sites where the 1776 Battle of White Plains was fought, the courthouse where the Declaration of Independence was read in 1776 and the Elijah Miller House on Virginia Road in North White Plains.
DOLL has been perhaps most prominent recently in its recent attempts to see the restoration and maintenance of the historic Miller House, which served as George Washington’s headquarters during the Battle of White Plains and near where a portion of the battle was waged, Kauffman said.
The Daughters of Liberty’s Legacy is requesting sponsors for the purchase of wreaths that will be placed on veterans’ graves. It costs $15 to purchase one wreath. For more information or to make a purchase, visit www.doll1776.com and click Donate to Wreaths.
