Christmas Honors transforms the Fort Smith National Cemetery

 

The Christmas Honors program at the Fort Smith National Cemetery, now in its third year, continues to grow and refine over time. Hundreds of volunteers and family members gathered at the Fort Smith National Cemetery on Saturday (Dec. 10) to place 13,500 wreaths on gravesites and around the cemetery.

A stricter policy regarding the family time versus public time was in effect this year and provided family members a more tranquil and personal experience at the grave sites of loved ones. The public was asked to respect the time from 9 to 10 a.m. as family time only.

Volunteers from the community then began placing wreaths on the remaining graves at 10 a.m. All the graves were decorated in 10 minutes which beat last year's time of 11 minutes, said Fort Smith City Director Philip Merry, Christmas Honors chairman.

Parking inside the cemetery was also limited to the elderly and disabled. Offsite parking and shuttle service to and from the cemetery were available for the general public.

Vietnam War veterans on motorcycles converged at the flagpole near the entrance to to the cemetery. Two groups, one from Oklahoma and the other from Arkansas, were escorted by Fort Chaffee military police from Old Fort Harley Davidson to the cemetery. The groups joined forces to help with the Christmas Honors program.

A greater presence of firefighters and police also participated this year, not for security purposes but simply to show their support, Merry said.

Groups of students from St. Boniface, Immaculate Conception School and Christ the King Catholic School sang Christmas carols as people snacked on chips, muffins and beverages provided for free to volunteers.

The ceremony began at 11 a.m. with a flyover of two A-10 Warthogs by the 188th Air National Guard. U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark. and Fort Smith Mayor Sandy Sanders addressed the crowd after the colors were presented by the Air National Guard Color Guard.

The color guard then fired a 21-gun salute as Taps was played by two trumpeters placed several hundred yards apart for a somber echo effect.

Prep work for the event was scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday for the Wreath Assembly Workshop. However, all the wreaths were unboxed and ready by 11:30 a.m.

"The first two years we were kind of winging it but now we've got it down to where we're smart enough to listen to those that know what they're doing," Merry said.

A wreath candlelight vigil is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12 at the Fort Smith National Cemetery as part of the Christmas Honors program.

The wreaths will remain up for public viewing through Jan. 7.