OSWEGO – Fort Ontario State Historic Site hosts Wreaths Across America Day on Saturday, Dec. 16. The event begins at noon in front of the enlisted men’s barracks inside the old stone fort. Following the ceremony, attendees will participate in the “Parade of Wreaths,” where they will escort veterans’ wreaths from inside the fort to the Post Cemetery. The program is free to the public and all ages are welcome.
The keynote speaker for this year’s event is Captain Scott M. Kelly, U.S. Army (Ret.), who served on active duty for 10 years. He was commissioned as an infantry officer in 2012, and was a rifle platoon leader, assault platoon leader and heavy weapons company executive officer in 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment at Fort Drum, N.Y. from 2013 to 2016.
In 2016, Captain Kelly was selected for the Special Forces and, after completing the unit’s qualification course in 2018, was assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Liberty, N.C. He commanded the Special Forces Operational Detachment – Alpha 3233 and served as a company executive officer and battalion operations officer from 2018 to 2022. He deployed to the AFRICOM and CENTCOM AORs to conduct special operations and was medically retired in March 2022 following his last deployment to Afghanistan during which he led the crisis response group for the Regional Targeting Team – North.
Captain Kelly’s awards and decorations include the Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Military Freefall Badge, Airborne Badge, Air Assault Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge and Meritorious Service Medal, among others.
Other guest speakers for the event include New York State Assemblyman William Barclay, Oswego Mayor-Elect Robert Corradino, Fort Ontario State Historic Site Manager Paul Lear and Wreaths Across America (WAA) Location Coordinator Corey King.
National Wreaths Across America Day is a free, non-denominational and non-political community event open to all people. It supports WAA’s mission of “Remember, Honor, Teach” – remembering the fallen, honoring those serving and teaching the younger generations the true value of freedom.
WAA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1992 by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester. Each year, it coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., and at veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in the U.S. and beyond.
The Fort Ontario Post Cemetery is the resting place for 77 officers, soldiers and civilians who served at, or were associated with, Fort Ontario from the French and Indian War to World War II.
For more information about the Oswego program, contact Corey King at [email protected] or call Fort Ontario at 315-343-4711. Updates will be posted on the Wreaths Across America Fort Ontario Facebook page (@FortOntarioWAA.
To volunteer, visit https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/155232/Overview/?relatedId=0.
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