A Pledge to honor

This Saturday, December 14, marks a special day for the “Veterans at the Library” organization here in Swainsboro. On this day, the group will once again participate in the placing of Christmas wreaths on the grave markers of Emanuel County veterans from nearly every conflict that this country has witnessed. Primarily, that is what makes this day special. But a look back to 2021 provides another reason that Saturday’s observance is notable. Three years ago, at the first wreath laying ceremony, the group supported the effort by placing 18 wreaths. On this Saturday, three years later, the group will place 2,196 wreaths on veterans’ graves throughout Emanuel County. That is a remarkable story of dedication and perseverance. In 2021, the group was little more than a casual Monday morning coffee club with a customary attendance of around a dozen retired veterans. Today, the normal attendance on a Monday morning at the Franklin Memorial Library is between 40 to 50 former men and women servicemembers. Every veteran of the United States military is welcome to attend. In a time when participation in civic clubs, service groups and even church congregations is down, this organization continues to thrive. In the past three years, this group has initiated its own Golf Tournament, hosted memorials for fallen active-duty military, honored a 100-year-old D Day veteran, held 911 memorial ceremonies, adopted and greatly improved a City Park, and spearheaded the construction of a 40-foot flagpole to fly Old Glory high above Harmon Park. In the Fall of this year, the group’s self-styled and dedicated leader, John Tapley, was even featured on an area television program. You might wonder how a group with no funding, no public relations budget, no Facebook presence and no special interest political power does what they have done. Well, full disclosure, they do get treated to a great breakfast every Monday, but it is much stronger than that. What drives these seasoned soldiers is inspiration. They still feel what it feels like to love the place you put on a uniform to protect. You can’t buy that, and you can’t fake it. The other thing that drives this organization is the pledge that started their participation in Wreaths Across America in the first place. That pledge is to honor the oath that no veteran shall be forgotten and that his service and his marker never fades from memory. At 11 a.m. this Saturday, the “Veterans at the Library” will again honor the memory of every veteran in Emanuel County whose grave has been reported or discovered by surveys of the group. There will be a ceremony at the Swainsboro City Cemetery, and the public is invited.

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