Last Saturday morning, people from all across the region poured into Mountain Home National Cemetery to take part in Wreaths Across America.
Veterans groups, school organizations, civic groups and individual citizens turned out to lay over 7,100 wreaths at Mountain Home. PHOTO BY DAVE ONGIE
All told, over 7,100 wreaths were laid upon the graves of veterans interred at Mountain Home. Boy Scouts, veterans organizations, civic groups and members of the community gathered for a short ceremony before fanning out across the cemetery to keep the memory of the veterans alive by laying a wreath on his or her grave, saluting, and calling their names out to the wind.
Local Cub Scout Braydon Bond salutes after laying a wreath on the grave of a veteran during the annual Wreaths Across America event at Mountain Home National Cemetery on Saturday. PHOTO BY DAVE ONGIE
The event started with a procession into the cemetery, where a short ceremony was held. David Carter, the location coordinator for Wreaths Across America, offered remarks, which included a story about Army Staff Sargent James Spurrier Jr.’s unconventional valor while fighting in France during World War II. Spurrier is one of four Congressional Medal of Honor winners whose grave was adorned with a wreath on Saturday.
Wreaths Across America was started in 2007 and depends on donations in order to provide the wreaths used in the annual ceremony. For more information, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
