One of the most emotional and solemn events of the holiday season was Dec. 13 as dozens of participants gathered at the Glen Carbon Village Cemetery as part of the nationwide 19th annual Wreaths Across America ceremony to honor the country’s veterans.
Several participating youths from the Pin Oak 4-H Club and Trail Life organizations placed wreaths on the graves of 82 veterans as the names and service records of those veterans were recited. The participants moved among the rows of graves, placing wreaths at each designated tombstone before moving on to the next row during the bitterly cold morning ceremony.
“They risked their lives for us and we honor them because they’re the ones who fought for our free country,” said 10-year-old Benjamin Grace after he had placed several wreaths during the ceremony. “It was a big honor to do this and I really respect them.”…