The Belmont American Legion spearheads local effort to honor veterans
From Volunteer Meredith Chilson, pictured is John Maynard with his son Alan
In 1992, Worcester Wreath Company in Maine found itself with a surplus of wreaths at the end of the holiday season. Remembering seeing the thousands of graves at Arlington National Cemetery on a boyhood trip to Washington, DC, owner Morrill Worcester arranged for the excess wreaths to be transported and placed on as many graves as possible in Arlington. Volunteers and organizations continued this tribute for over a decade, until in 2005, a photo of the decorated stones at Arlington began to circulate. Eventually this movement was opened to all national cemeteries and then to other cemeteries throughout the United States and across the world. By 2014, a goal of placing a wreath on every veteran’s grave was met with the sponsorship and placement of over 225,000 wreaths. In 2024, over 4 million volunteers placed more than 3 million sponsored veterans’ wreaths on headstones at 4,909 participating locations. Wreaths Across America is committed to teaching all generations about the value of freedom, and the importance of honoring those who sacrificed to protect those freedoms. Wreaths Across America Day is now celebrated annually in December. (More information can be found at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org)
The Belmont Wreaths Across America group, under the auspices of the Belmont American Legion family, first organized in 2022 after several community members had attended the wreath laying at Bath National Cemetery. There are 530 veterans buried in the six cemeteries in Belmont (Town of Amity), and wreaths have been sponsored for every grave since the group organized.
Wreaths Across America is not only an ever-growing volunteer organization, but it can be a fundraiser for local non-profit organizations. The Belmont Wreaths Across America group has chosen to use its funds to give back to veterans in the Belmont area through Honor Flight, whose mission is to celebrate America’s veterans by inviting them to share in a day of honor at our nation’s memorials. (For more information, go to www.honorflight.org) So far, the Belmont group has been privileged to send two area veterans on an Honor Flight.
On October 25, 2025, John Maynard from Belmont was one of 58 veterans on Honor Flight Mission 93, flying out of Rochester International Airport. This sixth and final mission for 2025 out of the Rochester hub included 2 Korean War veterans, 7 Cold War/Vietnam veterans, 40 Vietnam War veterans, and 2 Post 1975 veterans. Their branches of service were Army (25), Navy (19), Air Force (8), and Marines (6). While in Washington, DC, these veterans toured the WWII Memorial, FDR Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Vietnam Memorial Wall, the Women’s Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, had front row seats at the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and visited the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. At each stop, and every time they disembarked from their air flight, they were greeted with cheers, applause, and signs welcoming them “home”. Each veteran also always had a “guardian” with them; from the time they left Rochester on Saturday the 25th until they returned on the 26th. In Mr. Maynard’s case, his guardian was his son, Alan.
Mr. Maynard joined the Naval Reserve when he graduated high school in 1961. He went to boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois where he trained with the Naval Hospital Corps, emerging as a Navy medic. Initially he was sent to the Brooklyn Navy yard and was assigned to the USS Shangri-la, an angle deck aircraft carrier. After six months, his ship traveled to its homeport in Mayport, Florida. During the years Maynard was on active duty, his ship was sent to Guantanamo Bay, Panama, and Jamaica, among other ports. After leaving active service, Mr. Maynard remained in the Naval Reserve until 1967. He attended University of Rochester’s Radiology school and after receiving his license worked and taught 12 years at UR. He and his young family moved to Belmont in the 1970’s and owned and operated Maynard’s Grocery and Gas on Greenwich Street. In retirement, John has been active with various local organizations, is a remarkable woodworker, and enjoys living near his daughter’s family and his grandchildren.
The Belmont Wreaths Across America group was honored to be able to connect Mr. Maynard with Honor Flight and to sponsor his son as guardian. Several members joined the welcome home parade at Rochester International Airport. From all appearances, it was truly a wonderful experience.
Mr. Maynard remarked that one particularly special moment was finding and tracing his friend Bob Hunter’s name on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
This year, Wreaths Across America Day is December 13th. In Belmont, a ceremony will be held at Forest Hills and St. Mary’s cemeteries beginning at noon. Following this, a wreath will be laid solemnly at each veteran’s grave. Community members are encouraged to attend the ceremony and participate in the wreath laying to honor our country’s heroes. Hot chocolate and cookies will be served at the Belmont Legion immediately following the wreath laying.
If you would like to donate a wreath for a veteran who may not have family or local family please contact suzannethomas@roadrunner.com for information.
