Honor 759 sons, daughters who protected you

Wreaths Across America is a national effort to remember fallen U.S. veterans, honor those who serve and continue to teach the value of freedom.

It was inspired by a 12-year-old paper boy’s first trip to the nation’s capital and a visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

It was an experience Morrill Worcester carried with him throughout his life, according to the national non-profit. It inspired him to remember his own good fortune was due in large part to the values of this nation and the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

That effort is coming to Poplar Bluff for the first time.

A local group has set a goal to provide wreaths for all 759 headstones of veterans in Memorial Gardens.

To do this, they will need to raise $11,000 before the wreaths are to be placed Dec. 16. The cost to sponsor a wreath is $17.

“I just feel like that is such a great way to honor our veterans and the sacrifices they made for this country,” Brenda Yarbro, Poplar Bluff DAR treasurer and sponsorship chairman of Wreaths Across America, told the Daily American Republic recently.

The group hopes to add more area cemeteries later, but first, they need our help reaching this goal.

Those interested in volunteering for Wreaths Across America or sponsoring a wreath for Memorial Gardens are invited to visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org/MO0218P to learn more. National Wreaths Across America Day is a free community event open to all people.

The group will also be at the Black River Coliseum on Tuesday, as part of the VAlentines for Veterans concert.

The national wreath effort also started with a single cemetery, in the older section of Arlington. It was part of the cemetery that had been receiving fewer visitors each year.

Worcester organized a group of volunteers to begin laying wreaths there, and in 2005, photos of the stones went viral, receiving national attention.

Thousands of requests began to come in from across the country from those who wanted to help and to bring the recognition home to their own veterans.

By 2014, the effort had grown to more than 1,000 locations and over 700,000 memorial wreaths.

We also hope to see the Poplar Bluff effort grow annually.

It not only helps remember and honor the veterans, as well as their families, but brings home to all of us just how many men and women have stepped up to protect our freedoms. In just one Poplar Bluff cemetery, it is 759 sons and daughters.