At 11 a.m. Saturday, volunteers will lay wreaths on more than 20,000 graves in Veteran Cemeteries across Missouri to honor the nation's heroes as part of Wreaths Across America. Among the five Missouri cemeteries represented is the Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1019 E. Third St. in Mtn. View.
The Missouri Veterans Commission will host Wreaths Across America, a holiday wreath-laying event, to honor and remember American veterans. The Missouri Veterans Commission has collaborated with Wreaths Across America since 2009.
"This event is so special every year," said Missouri Veterans Commission Executive Director Paul Kirchhoff. "I encourage everyone to come on out to one of our cemeteries on December 16 and participate."
Locally, the Ozark Spring Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution is helping to coordinate the event to “remember, honor, teach” about local veterans buried in the Mtn. View cemetery.
The public is invited to accompany the wreaths as they are escorted from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3009, 1503 N. Y Highway in Mtn. View, to the cemetery. The escort will be provided by the Mtn. View Police and Fire Departments.
Prior to the remembrance ceremony, which will be held simultaneously at many locations across the country, Ozark Spring Daughters, with support from VFW Post 3009, family members of the deceased veterans and volunteers from the local and surrounding communities, will place the wreaths on as many veterans’ graves as possible.
“In remembrance and honor of their service to our country each veterans’ names will be read aloud as the wreaths are placed on their graves,” said organizers.
Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. The laying of wreaths is expected to last about an hour, according to officials with Wreaths Across America.
Wreaths Across America started in 1992 when the Worcester Wreath Company began donating wreaths to be placed at the headstones in Arlington National Cemetery, according to organization officials. Building on that tradition, in 2006, the company began donating seven ceremonial wreaths to each state and national veterans’ cemetery in the country, they added.
Today, many individuals and organizations hold campaigns to purchase additional wreaths to be placed at headstones in these cemeteries. To learn more about the Wreaths Across America, visit wreathsacrossamerica.org.
According to the Wreaths Across America map, a ceremony will be held at the Thayer Cemetery, also at 11 a.m. Saturday. Elsewhere in the state, ceremonies will be held at the Missouri Veterans Cemeteries in Bloomfield, Ft. Leonard Wood, Higginsville, Jacksonville and Springfield.
Ceremonies will also be held in Arkansas at the same time, including at Baxter Memorial Garden and Mtn. Home Cemetery in Mtn. Home, Kirby Tucker Cemetery in Gassville.
