JACKSONVILLE, Mo. â The rolling hillside of the Missouri Veterans Cemetery is a sea of wreaths honoring the sacrifices made by veterans.
On Saturday, in a tradition that started in 2015 at the cemetery, people gathered for a ceremony to mark the annual Wreaths Across America project to place green Christmas wreaths with red ribbons in front of veteransâ gravestones in all 50 states.
The Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville serves veterans families in Northeast and North Central Missouri.
It is situated on nearly 120 acres of rolling hillside about 2 miles south of Macon, with some 60 acres of carefully manicured grass.
Opened in November 2003, the cemetery has room for 40,000 gravesites, along with some 800 Columbarium spaces for cremations.
3 months ago in Local dtarsetti Photo: clipart.com
More than 250,000 Maine-made wreaths are being placed on graves at Arlington National Cemetery.
The distribution on Saturday represents the highest-profile annual event for Wreaths Across America, the organization that’s behind the effort.
The tradition began when a Maine wreath company ended up with 5,000 extra wreaths that he couldn’t bring to market in 1992. With the help of then-Sen. Olympia Snowe, Morrill Worchester, the company’s owner, had them delivered to Arlington.
This year Wreaths Across America says 1.7 million wreaths are being placed on veterans’ graves at 2,557 locations this year. Tags:
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Moffat County is set to join in on a nationwide tradition on Saturday at the Craig (Fairview) Cemetery for the second straight year.
Wreaths Across America, founded by Morrill Worchester, the owner of Worcester Wreath Company, will take place Saturday, Dec. 19 at the cemetery, starting at 10 a.m. with Frank Sadvar of the local Elks chapter leading the way.
This year, after having just 45 wreaths last year in its first year participating, the Craig Elks Lodge will have 508 live, balsam veterans’ wreaths to place on the graves of veterans. In total, Craig Cemetery has 783 service members buried there.
When Worcester was a 12-year-old paper boy for the Bangor Daily News in Harrington, Maine, when he won a trip to Washington D.C. His first trip to our nation’s capital was one he would never forget, and Arlington National Cemetery made an especially indelible impression on him. That experience followed him throughout his life and successful career, reminding him that his good fortu
then they embarrassed on what worchester calls the world s largest veterans parade, a 750-mile journey that at some points attracted more than 100 vehicles. and when they got to arlington, so many people wanted to participate. the ceremony you about to witness is an army wreath laying ceremony. for years, worchester paid for all of this out of his own pocket, and he started wreaths across america, sending hundreds to cemeteries and war memorials around the country. but he will need help to reach his new goal. i think around 2.7 million graves, and that s a tall order to decorate 2.7 million graves. but you d like to do it, wouldn t you? i really would, yeah. sometime, i don t know how, but, hey, you know how long are you going to keep doing this? i m going to keep doing it for as long as i work, and then i know my family is going to continue. so it will be here for a long