Civil Air Patrol Fundraising Underway for Wreaths Across America

The Putnam County Composite Squadron invites the public to sponsor remembrance wreaths to ensure that all veterans laid to rest at Raymond Hill Cemetery are honored this December on National Wreaths Across America Day. This year, the ceremony, held simultaneously across the country at more than 1,400 locations, will be on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. The goal: to place a live, balsam fir wreath at the headstone of every veteran buried there and spread patriotism and commemoration for the ultimate sacrifices they made for our country.

Squadron members are hosting a fundraiser on November 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Shop Rite, 184 Route 52 in Carmel, to sponsor the 600 wreaths needed to honor every veteran at Raymond Hill Cemetery. An additional 45 wreaths are needed to honor Revolutionary War veterans at Gilead Cemetery.

Sponsorship is $15 per wreath and checks should be made payable to “Wreaths Across America.”

To purchase online click this link - donate.CivilAirPatrol.WreathsAcrossAmerica -

“Every donation and wreath sponsorship is a meaningful gift from an appreciative supporter who knows what it means to serve and sacrifice for the freedoms we all enjoy,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America. “We are so grateful to the community of Putnam County for participating in our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach.”

Ceremonies are scheduled for the Raymond Hill Cemetery on Saturday, December 15 and Gilead Cemetery on Sunday, December 16. Both ceremonies take place at noon. For additional information contact Major Elena MacDermant at (845) 216-5433 or email elenamac@aol.com.

Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at more than 1,200 veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. CAP’s 60,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 25,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.