Wreaths Across America honors deceased veterans
Courtesy photo First Lt. Karen Hildebrand prepares to lay a wreath at the Ephrata cemetery.
EPHRATA — Almost a thousand deceased veterans interred in the Ephrata, Soap Lake and Quincy cemeteries will be honored with wreaths placed by their gravestones Dec. 15 and 16 by the Columbia Basin Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol Ephrata.
It will be just a piece of a nationwide effort through non-profit group Wreaths Across America, which holds an annual ceremony of laying wreaths on the graves of veterans across the U.S. and in locations around the globe. Close to 1,700 locations will be participating in this year’s event, thanks to the efforts of more than a million volunteers, according to a press release.
“We are forever grateful for the thousands of supporters who dedicate their time and effort to fulfilling our mission on a local level,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across
America in a press release. “These individuals and their communities know the value of remembering the fallen, honoring those who currently serve and teaching the next generation about the sacrifices made for our freedom every day, and without their continued support, Wreaths Across America would not exist.”
Wreaths Across America began as an expansion of the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester, who owns the tree farm that now provides the organization with thousands of wreaths every year. The trees themselves are sponsored by the families of deceased veterans.
First Lt. Karen Hildebrand, commander of the Columbia Basin Composite Squadron, said that the majority of the $15,000 raised this year for wreaths came from the stalwart efforts of six cadets ages 13 to 16 who spent every weekend in November, including Thanksgiving weekend, soliciting donations outside local businesses for eight to nine hours a day.
Others who wish to donate and sponsor a wreath or otherwise volunteer with the Columbia Basin Composite Squadron can do so by contacting Hildebrand at 509-793-4118, or by visiting the squadron’s page on the Wreaths Across America website, www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
The Ephrata Cemetery ceremony will take place on Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. The Quincy Cemetery ceremony will take place on Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. The Valley View Cemetery Wreaths Across America Ceremony will take place on Dec. 16 at noon at Valley View Cemetery in Soap Lake. In all cases, the community is invited to participate and help place wreaths on the graves of veterans.