‘They’re all heroes’

NVC LaRose reflects on his experience on Wreaths Across America’s Escort to Arlington.

In October, American Legion National Vice Commander Ron LaRose volunteered on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. Last week, he was part of the Escort to Arlington ahead of Wreaths Across America Day.

LaRose will live with the emotions of both events for a long time.

“I don’t think I can do anything else in my Legion life that can top these two events that I have experienced this fall,” LaRose said.

LaRose was one of hundreds who placed wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 13 on the 33^rd annual Wreaths Across America Day. Each year, more than 1 million wreaths are placed in more than 2,000 locations in the United States and around the world to honor the veterans buried there.

LaRose was invited to participate in the Escort to Arlington, a convoy which brings thousands of wreaths from Maine to Arlington, by Jeff Pierce. The director of broadcast and military partnerships for Wreaths Across America, Pierce was a Boy Scout and LaRose was his scoutmaster, LaRose said.
“He knew that I had a new position (as national vice commander), so he reached out to me, asked if I would be interested in being an escort. I said, sure,” LaRose said.

LaRose joined up with the Escort to Arlington on Dec. 8, two days after it began.

“Every spot (where they stopped) touched me,” LaRose said. “When we started moving Monday morning, every day we had at least three stops, and most of them were in schools.”

Another stop that stuck out to LaRose came at Polar Park in Worcester, Mass., home of the Boston Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate. One of the speakers there was a former police officer who recounted his story of when, while on duty, he learned that his son had been killed in combat in Afghanistan.

“A number of his fellow officers went with him to his home … as he told his wife and other children. The way he laid all this out was very emotional. We were freezing our butts off, but this just made you warm all over, hear the story, how he delivered it.

“I’ve never gone through this; I’ve never delivered a message (about a loved one dying in combat), never received a message in my life,” LaRose said.

His experience on the Escort to Arlington gave LaRose much to think about. He reflected on the songs — “God Bless the U.S.A.,” “America the Beautiful” — that were sung at each of the stops along the way.

“When this happens two or three times a day, you get to know those songs, the words and what they mean. Maybe I don’t pay enough attention to it, but when you do it for five, six days in a row, and you listen to those words over and over and over again, it really has a meaning. And you really have a handle on what you’re doing and why you’re doing it,” LaRose said.

“The people we’re honoring have lost loved ones in combat. That’s why we should continue to be a big supporter of Wreaths Across America. They’re all veterans; they’re all heroes.”