Post by jcfromgnatflats on Dec 1, 2008 11:40:25 GMT -6
NEWS RELEASE - Houston VA National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77038, www.cem.va.gov
For more information, Jackie Reyes, (281) 447-8686 ext. 200
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2008
Houston VA National Cemetery Participates in ‘Wreaths Across America’
HOUSTON — The Houston VA National Cemetery will again participate in the “Wreaths Across America” campaign by holding a special ceremony on Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 11 a.m. This year, the goal is to place approximately 14,000 wreaths on headstones to express appreciation for the past, present, and future sacrifices of our nation's veterans and their families.
This year’s ceremony speaker is Henry J. Ostermann, Ph.D., a native Texan who received a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University in May 1972. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve, he retired at the rank of Brigadier General in November 2008. Dr. Ostermann completed Master of Education and Master of Strategic Studies and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Care Administration. Currently, he is the Clinical Support Service Line executive at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston and has held academic appointments at Texas A&M University as a lecturer and visiting lecturer, Health Education and at Baylor College of Medicine as an assistant professor and associate professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
For the past 16 years, Maine’s Worcester Wreath Company, in coordination with the National Cemetery Administration, has made and decorated wreaths to adorn the headstones in Arlington National Cemetery. Spurred by the tremendous outpouring of letters and interest, an effort is being made to expand the reaches of the Arlington Wreath Project with a special campaign called, “Wreaths Across America.” This effort aspires to place memorial wreaths at each of the approximately 230 state and national cemeteries, and veterans’ monuments across the country.
If you are not able to attend or volunteer at the Houston VA National Cemetery event, organizers ask you to join others across the nation, stop for a Moment of Silence at 11 a.m., and share a silent thank you to all those who serve, to all who have been lost, and to the families who will be without loved ones this holiday season.
For more information about the “Wreaths Across America” effort in Houston, visit www.waahouston.com or call the Houston VA National Cemetery at (281) 447-8686, ext. 200.
# # #
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Houston VA National Cemetery is the second largest national cemetery in the region, encompassing some 419 acres of a former dairy farm in northwest Houston. The cemetery's focal point and the site of all special observances is the horseshoe-shaped building at its center known as the Hemicycle. This exposed aggregate structure contains a chapel and a 75-foot bell tower and encloses a courtyard that can accommodate as many as 2,000 people. All veterans with general or better discharges, their spouses, and dependent children are eligible for burial in a national cemetery. Eligible veterans may receive a VA grave marker or headstone even if they are not buried in a national cemetery. For more information, visit the National Cemetery Administration Web site at www.cem.va.gov.
For more information, Jackie Reyes, (281) 447-8686 ext. 200
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2008
Houston VA National Cemetery Participates in ‘Wreaths Across America’
HOUSTON — The Houston VA National Cemetery will again participate in the “Wreaths Across America” campaign by holding a special ceremony on Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 11 a.m. This year, the goal is to place approximately 14,000 wreaths on headstones to express appreciation for the past, present, and future sacrifices of our nation's veterans and their families.
This year’s ceremony speaker is Henry J. Ostermann, Ph.D., a native Texan who received a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University in May 1972. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve, he retired at the rank of Brigadier General in November 2008. Dr. Ostermann completed Master of Education and Master of Strategic Studies and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Care Administration. Currently, he is the Clinical Support Service Line executive at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston and has held academic appointments at Texas A&M University as a lecturer and visiting lecturer, Health Education and at Baylor College of Medicine as an assistant professor and associate professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
For the past 16 years, Maine’s Worcester Wreath Company, in coordination with the National Cemetery Administration, has made and decorated wreaths to adorn the headstones in Arlington National Cemetery. Spurred by the tremendous outpouring of letters and interest, an effort is being made to expand the reaches of the Arlington Wreath Project with a special campaign called, “Wreaths Across America.” This effort aspires to place memorial wreaths at each of the approximately 230 state and national cemeteries, and veterans’ monuments across the country.
If you are not able to attend or volunteer at the Houston VA National Cemetery event, organizers ask you to join others across the nation, stop for a Moment of Silence at 11 a.m., and share a silent thank you to all those who serve, to all who have been lost, and to the families who will be without loved ones this holiday season.
For more information about the “Wreaths Across America” effort in Houston, visit www.waahouston.com or call the Houston VA National Cemetery at (281) 447-8686, ext. 200.
# # #
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Houston VA National Cemetery is the second largest national cemetery in the region, encompassing some 419 acres of a former dairy farm in northwest Houston. The cemetery's focal point and the site of all special observances is the horseshoe-shaped building at its center known as the Hemicycle. This exposed aggregate structure contains a chapel and a 75-foot bell tower and encloses a courtyard that can accommodate as many as 2,000 people. All veterans with general or better discharges, their spouses, and dependent children are eligible for burial in a national cemetery. Eligible veterans may receive a VA grave marker or headstone even if they are not buried in a national cemetery. For more information, visit the National Cemetery Administration Web site at www.cem.va.gov.