Wreaths Across America to lay wreaths on soldiers' graves this weekend
AUSTIN, Texas - This weekend, Wreaths Across America will be honoring veterans and fallen soldiers by placing wreaths on their graves at cemeteries across the country.
This annual event also includes the Texas State Cemetery here in Austin.
In this FOX 7 Care Force, FOX 7 Austin's Mike Warren sits down with one of the Austin-area coordinators for Wreaths Across America, Missy Roberts.
MIKE WARREN: Tell us about this event on Saturday. What's going to happen?
MISSY ROBERTS: Yes. So I'm so grateful that you've asked about Wreaths Across America. This is our eighth year to have a ceremony at the Texas State Cemetery. And every year, it's an annual event, of course, in December and it takes place all across the nation. We are one of the cemeteries that is involved in Wreaths across America. And what we have done the last several months is gather contributions from individuals and from groups, fundraising groups, so that we can place a wreath on all the 7200 plus graves at the Texas State Cemetery.
MIKE WARREN: For the people that come out, what do you hope they take away from this?
MISSY ROBERTS: Well, that's a good question. This is really just a small act that goes a really long way towards k keeping all these veterans who served our country and made so many sacrifices for us, and this is just a way for us to remember them, to say thank you to them. And we do ask that when they do place the wreath at each of the graves that they stop for just a moment, say the person's name out loud so that they're never forgotten.
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MIKE WARREN: Talking about the event, do you need volunteers? How's the setup been going so far?
MISSY ROBERTS: Actually, it's been going great. We are so blessed. Every single year we have more and more volunteers who hear about it through word of mouth and through coverage. And so we expect the weather to be great on Saturday, which really helps the attendance. The public is invited. You don't have to have an invitation. You don't have to have purchased a wreath. We just want the public to be aware that this is going to happen. The ceremony will begin at 11:00. It will probably last for about 30 minutes. And then we will, all the volunteers who come, they will go and place the race on each individual grave.
MIKE WARREN: Okay. Well, we wish you the best and we hope there are big crowds coming out on Saturday. Missy Roberts, thanks again for talking with us. We appreciate it.
MISSY ROBERTS: Thank you so much for having me.