The graves of thousands of fallen heroes in the Quad Cities will soon be decorated with holiday wreaths thanks to the efforts of a national program, local volunteers and a financial services organization.
The Rock Island National Cemetery will participate in the national Wreaths Across America event at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the cemetery flag pole. Volunteers will gather at that time and place to help place the wreaths on graves.
However, a ceremony and keynote speech by Lt. Gen. Mark Landes that had been planned for that time have been cancelled due to possible wintry weather predicted to hit the region on Saturday.
This is a special event and vetting will take place at the Arsenal Island gate and will not require obtaining a visitor’s pass to access the cemetery.
The Department of Veteran Affairs works hand-in-hand with the nonprofit Wreaths Across America organization across the country to assist in the remembrance and recognition of our veteran population during the holiday season.
This year, Modern Woodmen of America is partnering with the Wreaths Across America organization on Dec. 13. The Rock Island-based fraternal financial services organization with members across the country, Modern Woodmen is supporting this initiative to honor deceased veterans through a $500,000 contribution toward:
- Modern Woodmen members’ participation to lay wreaths at selected cemeteries, including locally, on National Wreaths Across America Day.
- A wreath-for-wreath donation match for wreath sponsorships made by Modern Woodmen members for placement at Arlington National Cemetery.
Local Modern Woodmen members – including Modern Woodmen President and CEO Jerry Lyphout – along with other community volunteers will honor veterans by adorning headstones with live balsam wreaths.
The national nonprofit Wreaths Across America organization is working to ensure no veteran from the Quad Cities region is forgotten this holiday season. This program ensures that the more than 4,300 of the approximately 39,000 individuals buried at Rock Island National Cemetery, who served to protect our freedoms and country, are not and will never be forgotten.
Individuals who would like to sponsor a wreath can contact Wreaths Across America at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
This year, more than 2 million volunteers from across the nation will place holiday wreaths at more than 5,200 locations across the U.S. through Wreaths Across America.
Each year the Wreaths Across America program ensures that remembrance wreaths will be placed at the headstones of fallen veterans at nearly 1,000 locations across the country and overseas.
