MCC honors veterans with Rose Garden addition
About 60 people gathered at the Rose Garden at Mesa Community College to honor veterans and the centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Nov. 11 for Veteran’s Day.
The ceremony took place from 10-11:30 a.m. on the Southern and Dobson campus at the Never Forget Garden, a newly created addition to the rose garden.
The American Rose Society and the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier worked with MCC to unveil the Never Forget Garden on Veterans Day.
The Never Forget Garden is made up of a variety of white and red roses. A small committee has been working for nearly eight months to coordinate the new section of the rose garden.
“This section of the garden is a bed of several hundred square feet originally called the Honors Bed and has White Honor roses and Red Veterans Honor roses,” said captain of the veterans section of the rose garden Mike Cryer.
Seven White Ducher roses and eight White Innocencia roses were added. The White Nephitos rose is believed to be the bouquet that was placed on the casket of the Unknown Soldier of World War I and will be added when it is available, according to Cryer.
A ribbon cutting took place to commemorate a plaque being placed into the rose garden in honor of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a national monument located in Arlington, Virginia.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The occasion sparked the spread of awareness of the Never Forget Garden, and how anyone can have a monument placed in their own yard.
“That is something we have been talking about and doing seminars and meetings around the country to help people be more aware of this. Many people cannot get to the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried, ” said Society associate member Matthew Scott.
“There are so many that give every ounce of their effort and life for our country, and I think it’s always important that we remember that and honor that,” said Scott.
The Rose Garden is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
