Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial (MNVM), an official Wreaths Across America (WAA) location, will host a wreath-laying ceremony, joining more than 3,700 other locations across the country for National Wreaths Across America Day.
A wreath-laying ceremony will take place at Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial at 11 am
Sponsored wreaths will be taken to Mt. Hope Cemetery and placed on as many veterans’ graves as possible. Wreath-laying will begin at the NE corner of the cemetery at 1 pm.
Coordinated by MNVM, individuals, businesses, churches, and veterans service organizations have sponsored the placement of 600 veterans’ wreaths on the headstones of our fallen service members laid to rest at the Memorial and Mt. Hope Cemetery. This annual event seeks to further the yearly mission to Remember, Honor, Teach, ensuring that the memory of those who served our country endures.
“It started as a simple gesture of thanks that has grown into a national movement of dedicated volunteers and communities that come together to remember the fallen and other military members and honor their service,” NMVM Executive Director Rae Lynn Munoz said. “It’s also a teaching opportunity for the next generation about sacrifice that so many made for us to live freely.”
This will be the sixth year that Perryville has participated in the event.
In the first year, 58 wreaths were sponsored by community members in Perryville to donate as memorials for fallen veterans. The second year greatly exceeded those as 162 wreaths were sponsored. The third year, the goal was to have at least 150 wreaths and it went past that goal with 161 wreaths again for 2020.
Munoz said that people of all ages will be able to get something out of the ceremony however, big or small.
“For me personally, this event is all about the teaching opportunity,” she said. “I am a mother and I have young children. It’s organizations like Wreaths Across America and the memorial here that give the young people the opportunity to see the sacrifices. It’s one thig to tell a story of a service member, but when you have something tangible that you can bring your family to, it’s a little different. They can see what these heroes have done.”
