Centered around the three-part theme of "Honor, Remember, Teach," the volunteers would spend the better part of a day (depending on how many wreaths were to be place at any one cemetery) focusing the attention of a community on our Veterans. What a great project.
The Shelby County Vets to DC group, a group that has already coordinated and executed 10 trips to DC for Veterans and a caregiver/travel companion/relative/spouse/etc. of their choice, decided this would be a worthy project to take on. Having completed that mission, the group turned its attention to a different venue with which continued honor and remembrance of our Veterans could be done. We knew it would involve some work, but having taken 1,045 persons on these 3-day trips to see their memorials, we figured we were up for it.
Below are a couple of pictures of the area at the Graceland Cemetery in Sidney where we concentrated our efforts.
Even though this project has been going on for several years across the country, this was the first time for this project in Shelby County, and the first for our group. There are over 70,000 volunteers who dedicate their day at the National Cemetery at Arlington, Virginia. Every single grave marker there has a wreath placed on it by the volunteers.
Below is a picture of Arlington and one of the trucks delivering the wreaths. Note the volunteers lined up to welcome the trucks. This is only a small sample of them. The rest are already at their stations throughout the cemetery.
As I said, this was our first time doing anything like this. We had no idea what it would be like, what the weather would be, how many people might want to volunteer besides the ones on our committee, what the procedures were for the ceremony, and so on, and so forth. Lots of unknowns. But, as we used to say in the MP Corps, "Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst."
The weather forecasts leading up to the December 17th date were not good. It called for possibility of snow (10% chance) and freezing rain (90% chance). We had made arrangements for uniformed personnel from the Piqua and Lima, Ohio Recruiting Commands to assist with the ceremonial wreath paying portion , and we had secured the Honor Guard and Color Guard from the American Legion Post 214 to also assist with the day. Well, the Recruiters would have had to come from Lima and Piqua, a 30-35 mile drive for both, and the Legion personnel had an average age in the neighborhood of 85 years old. Some neighborhood! Not looking too good for a ceremony. I walked out of my house at approx. 8:30 just to have a "look-see" and fell right on my backside on the first step off the porch. Really not looking too good for a ceremony!
So, not wanting to have anyone get hurt, I called the local radio stations, the Legion, the Recruiters, and the committee members and told them that the ceremony part of the day would be cancelled. However, I did tell the committee that my wife and I would be at the site at 11:00 to unbox the wreaths and anyone who wanted to try to make it could help us.
There are not words big enough,
There is not a hug strong enough;
There is not a smile wide enough...
All we can offer is our thanks to you. You are our heroes.
Hooah
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