The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

The Wreaths Across America laying of the wreaths will take place Saturday, Dec. 16 this year.

At 10 a.m. wreaths will be laid all across the nation for our veterans who have gone on before us. This all started with a 12-year-old boy who went to the nation’s capital for the first time and Arlington Cemetery made a big impression on him. The experience followed him throughout his life and reminded him that his good fortune was due in large part to the values of his nation and the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Today his tradition of laying wreaths on veterans’ graves still goes on through Wreaths Across America.

We are sending out our letters to all who have participated in the past. If you would like to buy a wreath, they are $15 each and you can have it put on the grave of a soldier you knew or donate it to be placed on a soldier’s grave who might not have any family left. We will always lay wreaths at Chouteau County cemeteries: Fort Benton, Geraldine, Big Sandy, Carter, and anyone in Highwood who might be at one of the small cemeteries.

Mail orders to Diane Jones, P.O. Box 1556, Fort Benton, MT 59442 or call or text her at 406-270-7021. Checks should be made payable to Wreaths Across America.

If you wish to honor a specific veteran, please include their name(s) and the cemetery where their gravestone can be found. If you would like your donation to purchase wreaths for a specific cemetery, please indicate the cemetery (Chouteau County only) with your payment.

Thank you to all who participate in this awesome endeavor. It is really something to look over the cemetery at dusk and see all the beautiful wreaths. Our veterans deserve the best, even when they are no longer here.