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126040295_web1_Update

Times Leader P.M. Update: Nov. 22, 2020

EDWARDSVILLE &mdash; In front of a small crowd of friends, family members, members of the community and fellow servicemen, Specialist Kyle Chainey lit the Edwardsville Warrior Tree on Sunday afternoon in thanks to those who have served in the military, and to honor those who gave their lives in service.
				&ldquo;It was an honor to be chosen,&rdquo; said Chainey, a Larksville native and member of the National Guard for six years. &ldquo;I was surprised, too.&rdquo;
				A tradition in the community since 2014, the Edwardsville Warrior Tree was also decorated on Sunday by local Cub Scouts and servicemen.
				&ldquo;Usually we do the decorating and the lighting on two separate days, but we combined them this year because of the pandemic,&rdquo; said Diane Cowman, who&rsquo;s had a hand in the Warrior Tree project since its inception. &ldquo;We almost decided not to do it this year, but that just wouldn&rsquo;t have been right.&rdquo;
				The project started as a small tree inside the home of project founder Karen Declet, and once word spread, the tree moved from Declet&rsquo;s home to Veterans Park in Edwardsville.
				&ldquo;The first year, we had this little Charlie Brown tree,&rdquo; Cowman said. &ldquo;And we&rsquo;ve grown so much since then.&rdquo;
				The tree was adorned with ribbons and bows along with pictures of soldiers from the area, including Cowman&rsquo;s son Trevin. Also in front of the tree were 22 pairs of boots, a somber symbol of the number of veterans who are lost to suicide each day.
				&ldquo;We should be honoring and caring for our veterans every day,&rdquo; Cowman said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m so proud of my son, and of everyone who fights for our country.&rdquo;
				The ceremony featured a full gun salute, a number of guest speakers and a visit from &ldquo;Sergeant Santa,&rdquo; who drove down Main Street on top of a fire truck before handing out goodie bags to each of the children.
				The themes of the speakers revolved largely about the importance of checking in on one another, especially during a pandemic that&rsquo;s made it harder than ever to see loved ones face-to-face.
				&ldquo;Call a vet that you know, check in on them when you can,&rdquo; said Louis Sewell, a former commander of the American Legion&rsquo;s District 12.
				A portion of the ceremony was also dedicated to remembering the late Bernard &ldquo;Ace&rdquo; Dubaskas, the former mayor of Edwardsville who passed away in July.
				&ldquo;Ace was the first person chosen to light the tree, in 2014,&rdquo; Cowman said. &ldquo;He was a unanimous choice, there couldn&rsquo;t have been a better man for the job.&rdquo;
				In a touching moment, Cowman and Sherri Dubaskas Cordes, Ace&rsquo;s daughter and successor as Edwardsville&rsquo;s mayor, put the final ornament on the tree together.
				&ldquo;Ace is still with us, he never left,&rdquo; Dubaskas Cordes said. &ldquo;His memory will last forever around here.&rdquo;

Warrior Tree is lit in Edwardsville