A wreath-laying ceremony for World War II

SEVILLE — A sense of sometimes unsettling stillness often falls over the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, the final resting place of many veterans who deserve that quietness. But the calm will briefly be broken on Wednesday when a wreath-laying ceremony will commemorate the end of World War II. Dubbed the Spirit of '45, the event, which takes place every five years at all national cemeteries, honors the sacrifice and service of the men and women who served during the Second World War. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, 10175 Rawiga Road, Seville, Ohio. Local veterans are among those buried there. The event marks the 80th anniversary of wartime President Harry S. Truman's announcement of the unconditional surrender of Japanese forces, marking the end of hostilities in the Pacific theater, according to a news release. More than 16 million Americans served during World War II with over 407,000 killed. Ohio contributed nearly 840,000 soldiers, sailors and marines to the war effort with Huron County sending over 800 personnel, according to the U.S. Army Air Corps Museum. Many Huron County veterans are interred at the cemetery. In 1987, the Department of Veterans Affairs identified the Cleveland area as one of 10 areas of the country most in need of burial space for veterans based upon veteran population. In 1993, a 274-acre site was selected on Rawiga Road in Rittman. Burial operations began on June 19, 2000, according to the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department. The cemetery was officially designated the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery after the part of the Northwest Territory formerly known as the Connecticut Western Reserve. With only Dayton National Cemetery and Ohio Western Reserve currently the only National Cemeteries in Ohio with internment spaces available, Huron County veterans electing to be interred at a national cemetery, Western Reserve is the sole local choice, according to the National Cemetery Administration. The initial construction developed approximately 60 acres and includes 15,900 full-casket grave sites, 3,000 sites for cremated remains, an entrance area, an administration/maintenance complex and two committal shelters. The ceremony will include: • Speeches and remarks by various officials • Wreath dedication and military honors ceremony • Taps by Tawny Smith • Rifle Salute by the 555th Honors Detachment • Color Guard by 555th Honors Detachment