Residents, Scouts pay respects with wreaths

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

In a solemn ceremony on a foggy morning Saturday, Dec. 13, around 50 people gathered at Lakeland Hills Memorial Park in Burnet to lay Christmas wreaths at around 120 veterans’ graves as part of the Wreaths Across America tradition.

The tradition began at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., in 1992 and has since grown into a national holiday custom.

The Boy Scouts of America, Troop 284 in Marble Falls, hosted the event.

“The kids really get a lot out of this as a community service project,” said Cassandra Chambliss, adult adviser for the Boy Scouts Venturing Crew 284. Chambliss, from a “Navy family,” said she cannot imagine losing her child in war.

A few Girl Scouts and members of the Christian Motorcycle Association were also on hand to continue the tradition.

They were not able to lay wreaths at all approximately 400 veterans’ graves in the cemetery. They did, however, raise enough money for 101 wreaths, and Home Depot donated another 20 wreaths out of its inventory.

“The goal is for more people to know about [Wreaths Across America] and to participate—we hope to have every gravesite covered next year,” Chambliss said.

She added that if the organization gets too many wreaths next year, they “would take the leftovers to surrounding cemeteries.”

“Fund raising [for next year’s Wreaths Across America] is a year-long process; we’re taking donations today,” Chambliss said.

David Hankins, preacher at Llano Church of Christ and master of ceremonies, encouraged people to write down the names of veterans whose graves they visit and research that person. “I could quote a bunch of statistics, but all you would have is numbers,” he said. “Each one of these veterans’ graves is more than a name or a statistic.”

For photos of the ceremony, see Tuesday's Highlander.