Warhorse Battalion honors those who served
Owen JROTC cadets join Wreaths Across America ceremony at Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
December 16, 2024
A color guard combining JROTC units from Owen and Reynolds High Schools and the Asheville Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program present colors, Dec. 14, as the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery hosts a Wreaths Across America ceremony. Photo by Fred McCormick
A somber holiday ceremony, overlooking the graves of thousands of military veterans, Dec. 14, allowed Owen JROTC cadets to honor the memories of those who served.
As the Warhorse Battalion joined the A.C. Reynolds JROTC and Asheville Civil Air Patrol Cadet programs in observance of Wreaths Across America, Swannanoa Valley students reflected on the service of family and other community members.
Marked with commemorative gatherings in all 50 states, including the Arlington National Cemetery, the annual campaign encourages participants to purchase wreaths to be placed at the headstones of veterans. Cadets asked friends and family members to sponsor wreaths, according to Army JROTC Instructor Retired Sergeant First Class Jeff Garland.
Sophomore Kameron Creasman, a member of the Owen JROTC Color Guard, was among the students who placed wreaths at various sites throughout the nearly 50-acre property.
“Harry Wally Tolley, Sr. was my great-grandfather, and Winfred “Dash” Clyde Hensley, Jr. was also my great-grandfather,” Creasman said. “It’s very humbling having the privilege of being here today to place their wreaths on their graves.”
Tolley, a native of Woodfin who later lived in Black Mountain, was a U.S. Navy Veteran of the Korean War and a naval flight training base firefighter. He later founded Black Mountain Machine Co. with his sons, before passing away in 2016.
Hensley, a native of Buncombe County and Navy Veteran who served in the first wave of the Normandy Invasion of World War II, was a pastor a Bee Tree Missionary Baptist Church before his death in 2020.
“These were great men who were very special to me,” Creasman said. “I’m proud of them.”
Senior Madie Buchanan visited the grave of her uncle, Charles Silvers, a Navy Veteran who served on the USS Kalamazoo and USS Forrestal.
Owen senior Madie Buchanan visits the grave of her uncle, U.S. Navy Veteran Charles Silvers, Dec. 14, as the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery hosts a Wreaths Across America ceremony. Photo by Fred McCormick
“It’s a little overwhelming and emotional,” she said. “You see so many people here who lost someone, and know they had to deal with the pain of losing someone they love. But, I’m glad I’m here to be a part of this, because all of the people who here sacrificed for their country deserve to be remembered.”
Once a wreath was placed, cadets spoke the name of the veteran interred at the grave site. Freshman Atlas Sellers honored her grandfather, Korean War Veteran Army Corporal Charles Albert Guthrie.
“It took me a while to find his grave, but I knew he served in Korea and was a corporal in the Army,” she said. “I was only 2 when he died, so I didn’t really know him, but I wanted to make sure he had a wreath.”
Guthrie’s headstone describes him as a loving husband and father.
“It was nice to be here today and remember him,” Sellers added.
Owen freshman and JROTC cadet Atlas Sellers salutes at the grave of her grandfather, Korean War Veteran Charles Albert Guthrie, at the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery. Photo by Fred McCormick
Participating in the ceremony deepens the connections between a new generation of cadets and those who served the country, according to Garland.
“This is a small community, so many of our students have some connection to the veterans in the cemetery,” he said. “I think a ceremony like this one truly reinforce the sacrifices that so many people have made for them and our country.”
During the service, Garland learned the grave of a retired Owen teacher was among the nearly 9,000 veterans and their family members on the property. Freshman Willow Glenn Stewart joined the group that visited the columbarium where Charles Strimple, who taught English at the nearby high school for 20 years, was laid to rest in 2020.
“My mom taught with Mr. Stimple, and he was the kind of teacher that everyone loved, from what I was told,” Stewart said. “He was one of those people who made everyone laugh.”
Strimple, a native of New York, was a sergeant in the Army 25th Division, known as Tropic Lightning, during the Vietnam War.
“I was really honored to be a part of this and show my respect to him for his service,” Stewart said. “Not only was he a veteran, but he he was a really good teacher and an important part of this community for so long. We wanted to him to know he was loved.”