LYNN HAVEN — Master Sgt. Susan Hammond of Okaloosa County lost two teammates in Afghanistan. An IED explosion took them both out at once.
She could not be at their graves Saturday but she felt like she did the next best thing — helping the Civil Air Patrol, along with 35 camouflaged airmen from Tyndall Air Force Base, put 288 wreathes on the graves of veterans at two Lynn Haven cemeteries.
Hammond has been a participant in Wreaths Across America for three years, traveling to Arlington National Cemetery to take part in the national memorial.
Civil Air Patrol Commander Charles Walker said the reason about 60 people had gathered in Lynn Haven at 9 a.m. this past Saturday was to coincide with that event.
This is the first year for the event in Lynn Haven, organized with the help of Hammond and Lynn Haven Mayor Walter Kelley.
“The mayor himself has been super tied to this. We could not have asked for a better partner,” Walker said.
Staff Sgt. Joe Giles brought his whole family including wife, Shalanda, and two boys, Isaiah and Jamani. He had just gotten back from a six-month tour in Afghanistan and hopes he won’t have to go back.
“We feel like it’s a great opportunity to honor men and women who went before us,” Giles said. “I especially wanted to bring the children.”
To Giles that literally means the two generations of his family that preceded him: his grandfather is retired Coast Guard and his father is retired Army. He happens to be the only airman in the family with his sister in the Army and brother in the Navy, which creates some good natured ribbing at Thanksgiving.
“I tell them I chose the right one,” he said.
Senior Airman Kiara Valencia also comes from a military family, some of whom have fallen in the line of duty.
“I felt I should pay my respects to someone,” Valencia said.
Walker said the only failure of the event is that the volunteers could not cover graves of every veteran. Getting enough wreaths is the goal for next year. The Civil Air Patrol received about $3,000 worth of donations and had a two for one deal with Wreaths Across America because the Panama City/Tyndall branch did not host a fundraiser.
“We’re starting off in January,” Walker said of fundraising for next year.
Still, this year Walker was ecstatic at the turnout.
“It was more than I dreamed it could be,” he said.
