Needham Lays Wreaths for Fallen Veterans

December 16, 2024
• Nearly 700 veterans buried in Needham received a balsam wreath during a ceremony Saturday afternoon.

About 1,500 veterans are laid to rest at Needham Cemetery, their gravestones marked with small flags and symbols of their service. While many of those veterans passed away generations ago, their commitment and contribution have not gone unrecognized.

Community members placed balsam fir wreaths on the graves of 686 veterans on Saturday for Wreaths Across America, a national movement conceived in Worcester more than 30 years ago. At each grave, people stopped to read the veteran’s name aloud, reflecting on their life and sacrifice.

The live wreaths “symbolize our honor to those who have served and are serving in the Armed Forces,” said Tammie Kukoleca, chaplain of the Needham chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, who organized the event. Needham has observed the event since 2021.

“[We] lay wreaths on the graves of those veterans that served our country as a way to remember and honor them, but also teach the next generation of the sacrifices that these men and women, [who] gave their lives for our freedom,” Kukoleca told Needham Local. “It’s special, and it’s a very moving event.”

Seven of the wreaths represented military branches, honoring veterans and active service members. Another wreath recognized the more than 93,000 service members who are missing in action or prisoners of war and never returned home.

Cadets in the Hanscom Civil Air Patrol participated in the ceremony, and Boy Scouts Troop 13 helped dispense wreaths. Select Board Vice Chair Heidi Frail read “In Flanders Fields,” a World War 1-era poem, and Chair Kevin Keane shared a proclamation from Gov. Maura Healey. More than 100 people attended.

Apart from Memorial Day, Veterans Day and other commemorative holidays, Needham finds ways to commemorate its veterans year-round, said Tom Keating, chaplain of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2498. In doing so, the town “ensures that its future generation is taught the value of freedom,” he said.

“Our town always remembers those who have fallen,” Keating said. “Your presence here today is just but one example.”

While the DAR fell short of its goal to cover all 1,500 graves, Kukoleca said they funded 25% more wreaths than last year. After the ceremony, she encouraged attendees to pay their respects to the 814 veterans who don’t have a wreath this year.

More than 100 wreaths have already been sponsored for next year’s ceremony, Kukoleca said, and now until Jan. 17, Wreaths Across America will match every wreath purchased.

“It’s a small act that goes a long way toward keeping the memory of our veterans alive,” Kukoleca said Saturday. “Remember, we are not here to decorate graves. We are here to remember not their deaths, but their lives.”

More than 4,600 towns and cities hold Wreaths Across America ceremonies, according to the nonprofit’s website.

Phil Robey of the Needham Exchange Club walked through the cemetery recognizing many of the names he passed by. As a Needham native, Robey said he felt especially touched by the “wonderful” ceremony.

Patriotism exists at the heart of the NEC, Robey said, and he’d like the town to reach all 1,500 veterans next year.

“We’re all impacted by the veterans,” Robey said. “This ceremony, it’s the idea of supporting our veterans.”

Newton resident and U.S. Navy veteran Devin Munroe laid wreaths with her daughter, whom she hopes to inspire through action. Munroe comes from a military family and said she understands the personal impact of their service.

“Freedom is not free,” Munroe said. “We’ve got to pass it on.”

The DAR’s mission to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism aligns perfectly with that of Wreaths Across America, Kukoleca said. During the ceremony, she and others remembered those who “fight to protect the innocent and oppressed, she said.

“The United States of America was founded on the ideals of freedom, justice and equality. Our nation stands as a shining beacon of liberty and freedom to the world,” Kukoleca said. “We thank those who gave their lives to keep us free, and we shall not forget you. We shall remember.”