Honoring our veterans for the holidays
Dec. 20—Graves of fallen veterans at the Historic Marysville City Cemetery were decorated for the third year in a row as part of the annual Wreaths Across America event. Local veterans groups and community members gathered to place wreaths at several cemeteries in the area in honor of Saturday's event.
Established in 1992, Wreaths Across America was started by Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company, who decorated headstones at Arlington National Cemetery with a surplus of wreaths in his possession, local organizer Brock Bowman said. Each December, volunteers decorate the graves of veterans nationwide to honor their service over the holidays and introduce children to military values.
"Laying wreaths at the headstones of fallen U.S. veterans, many children in attendance learn the value of freedom by addressing the fallen by name and thanking them for their service," Marysville Public Works Director Vincenzo Corazza said in an email.
Bowman began organizing local participation for Wreaths Across America three years ago on behalf of the Olivehurst chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars, a nonprofit assisting disabled veterans and their families. Since then, other local veterans groups have gotten involved to help decorate graves in four neighboring cemeteries.
A rifle salute and taps, a bugle call frequently used in military funerals and ceremonies, were performed by members of Veterans of Foreign Wars at the Marysville Cemetery. Members of the American Legion of Yuba City also performed the salute for Sutter Cemetery, Live Oak Cemetery District and St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, Bowman said.
Over 120 veteran graves are located in the Marysville Cemetery with the majority dating back to the Civil War or Spanish-American War, he said. Community participation in Wreaths Across America continues to grow each year, Bowman said.
"This year, we had the largest crowd laying down wreaths that we've ever had," he said. "It's a big day for the veterans honoring veterans."
As a Vietnam War veteran, Bowman believes that Wreaths Across America is an important opportunity to honor past military service and generate awareness for local landmarks like the Marysville Cemetery.
"The Historic Marysville Cemetery doesn't get much traffic as far as people out there because there aren't a lot of new people out there unless you're a family member of someone buried. ... They were the veterans of the Civil War era who buried their own out there in that cemetery and that's why there's so many of them. It was all done by a veterans group called the Grand Army of the Republic," Bowman said.
Keeping in practice with the event, the wreaths will stay in place for 30 days to last through Christmas and New Year's, he said. Bowman and other volunteers will collect the wreaths and other decorations from the cemetery in mid-January.
