'More than a statistic'
Dec. 24—EPHRATA — More than 1,000 Grant County veterans were remembered Dec. 13 when the Civil Air Patrol, American Legion Post 28, Ephrata, and other community members laid wreaths on their graves.
"To our children, we want you to understand that the freedom that you enjoy has not been free," retired Air Force Col. Roger Patry said in the opening ceremony of Wreaths Across America at the Ephrata cemetery. "It has come at a cost."
A total of 1,020 wreaths were laid at the graves of veterans in Ephrata, Soap Lake and Quincy, said CAP Lt. Col Kathy Maxwell, who coordinated the events.
"For the first time that I've been doing it for the last five years, we finally covered every one of the veterans' graves that we knew about," Maxwell said.
Veterans buried at the Stratford cemetery got wreaths as well this year, Maxwell said, because there were a couple of boxes left over.
Wreaths Across America was started in 1992 by Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, Maine, according to WAA's website. Civil Air Patrol cadets sold the wreaths outside stores in Soap Lake, Quincy and Ephrata over Veterans Day weekend, and more were ordered online, Maxwell said. A truck driver volunteers every year to drive them over from the west side and 40-50 volunteers came to the cemeteries to place them. Similar events took place on the same day all across the country.
"As long as you're saying their name out loud, they are not forgotten," Maxwell said. "So every time we put a wreath down, we read the stone out loud and either salute or put our hands over our heart."
The exercise made a particular impression on the Civil Air Patrol cadets, Maxwell said, as they sought out the graves of veterans, some of which dated to World War I.
"Many of them have not been touched by death yet, because they're so darn young," she said. "(They'd say) 'Oh, my gosh, this guy was only 19 years old,' or 'This person fought in two wars in two different branches of the military.'"
"We could give the statistics of individuals buried around the country, but all that would (be) is a bunch of numbers," Patry told the cadets. "Instead, we ask you to take a moment (when you) visit a grave site, write down information for the person and when you return home, research their name on the internet and find out what you can about that person. You'll find they were real Americans with families, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles. They were and are more than just a statistic."
Wreaths are already on sale for next year, Maxwell said, and the national WAA organization will match the sales wreath for wreath through Jan. 17. Wreaths can be ordered at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org or by contacting the Civil Air Patrol at 509-754-3273.