Pflugerville Wreaths Across America led by next generation of service members
PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - As Central Texans placed hundreds of wreaths on headstones at the State Cemetery Saturday morning, a smaller group gathered just north of east Austin to do the same.
Members of Austin's Civil Air Patrol Pegasus Composite Squadron, all between the ages of 12 and 18, handed off wreaths to service members and veterans.
Each person placed a wreath on a cross for every branch of the military and POWs.
"I imagine it's kind of to tie it all together at the end of the year, bring together the Christmas joy as well as that reverence and remembering those who have been here before us," said Cadet Major Sydney Quirk with the Civil Air Patrol.
After the solemn ceremony, a small army of volunteers follows suit.
The group rested wreaths on the graves of 115 veterans at the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Pflugerville.
"They have us in mind," said Quirk. "They are going out of their way to do something that is not ordinary, and I think that's just something really cool to remember, and it's worth thanking any veterans any time you see them, any active military just thanking those around you."
The group hosting Pflugerville's Wreaths Across America ceremony is too young to serve. So, while they wait for their time, they'll find other ways to give back to their country.
"This whole ceremony is about respect, and without the respect we wouldn’t be here today," said Cadet Captain Natalie Opiela with the Civil Air Patrol.
"We want to make sure that the cadets remember, honor, and teach the lessons learned from all the services done by the veterans," said Lt. Col. Dennis Eibe, the squadron commander of Civil Air Patrol Pegasus.
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In the fourth year of the ceremony, they raised enough funds to buy an additional 607 wreaths to send to the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
"It’s very moving for any veteran to see this type of remembrance and know that they’re being thought of," said Eibe.
But what strikes Air Force veteran Dennis Eibe even more after the ceremony is knowing that the future of the military is in good hands.
"It's more important to see the cadets and see how they take this duty very seriously," said Eibe. "They're very solemn when they put the wreaths down."
In the four years the Civil Air Patrol in Austin has hosted the event in Pflugerville, its cadets have provided more than 2500 wreaths to the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery and Texas' National Cemetery.