Area wreath ceremonies bear witness to legacy of military service, families' sacrifices

When 6-year-old Jason McClary placed a memorial wreath Saturday morning at Murrysville Cemetery, he represented all those who lost a loved one in military service — just as he lost the father whose name he shares.

The Washington Township boy was less than a year old, and his older brother, Jett, was just 2, when their father, Army Sgt. Jason McClary, died after being injured by an explosive device in 2018 in Afghanistan.

“They knew that (their father) wasn’t there, but now they’re starting to understand what actually happened, and it’s starting to profoundly impact them,” the boys’ mother, Lillie, said after leading members of her Gold Star family in a Wreaths Across America program at the cemetery.

”They handle it with such grace; I’m so proud of them.” their mother said. “They ask questions about him quite often.”

A number of local veterans participated in Saturday’s cemetery program. They laid wreaths for those who served in the various branches of the armed forces, including those who were missing in action or held as prisoners of war.

Despite frigid temperatures, the event drew an estimated 150 volunteers, who then fanned out to place wreaths on all the veterans’ graves at the cemetery.

Local firefighters, police officers and veterans from the Murrysville American Legion post and White Valley AMVETS post assisted.

“We had a fantastic turnout,” said Joe Eveges, one of the local coordinators of the cemetery program. “There are 191 graves here, so we had plenty of help.”

Eveges is troopmaster of a Trail Life Scouting group that is based at the Murrysville Alliance Church and has participated for five years in the annual nationwide wreath-laying effort.

This year was the first time the program took place at Murrysville Cemetery.

Afterward, volunteers moved to the smaller Lessig Riddle Cemetery in Salem, where they continued the tradition of placing wreaths on military graves — including those of three Revolutionary War veterans.

On Saturday, similar ceremonies took place at more than 4,700 other locations across the country. Wreaths also were placed locally at cemeteries in North Huntingdon and in the Jeannette area.

“We honor (veterans) and their families and the sacrifices they make each day to keep our country safe from terrorism, hatred and injustice,” Eveges told those attending the Murrysville ceremony. “It’s an honor for me to honor them.

“We remember the fallen, honor those who have served and their families, and teach the next generation the value of freedom.”

Kailey Burton, a junior at Plum High School, is one of the next generation who is taking that message to heart. A cadet major with her school’s Air Force Junior ROTC program, she took part in Saturday’s wreath-laying.

“It means a lot to me that I was able to lay a wreath for the Merchant Marines,” Burton said.

She said she joined the JROTC program because she “thought it would be a great experience, to honor what the veterans did and honor my community.”

Lillie McClary said, as her sons understand more about their father’s military service, “They look at him as a hero and admire and want to be that themselves when they grow up. It’s one of the strong ‘dad moments’ in their lives.”

Sgt. McClary, who grew up in Export, already had completed a tour of duty in Iraq when he made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, at age 24.

He was assigned as a gunner with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, when his unit was struck by a massive blast from an improvised roadside bomb on Nov. 27, 2018, in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province. He was among several U.S. soldiers who were killed or wounded in the attack.

Lillie McClary and her two sons flew to a military hospital in Germany, where her husband was evacuated for treatment.

“He suffered a massive stroke that caused severe brain damage and, ultimately, that was what ended his life” days later, on Dec. 2, she said. “It was a tough moment, but the amount of people who came together for my family, that got us through it.”

Lillie McClary since has entered the next chapter of her life, with a new partner and a 3-year-old daughter, Lila.

Still, she indicated, she and her family always will feel the impact Sgt. McClary made and embrace his legacy of service.

“Now that it’s been a few years, some healing has happened,” she said. “We can look back and remember the good things.”

On the anniversary of the sergeant’s death, the family laid a wreath on his grave at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil, Washington County.

They welcomed the chance to repeat the gesture on Saturday, at a location closer to his boyhood home.

“I’m so thankful to be a part of this, and that they’re honoring Jason,” said Lillie.