‘Remember, Honor, Teach’
Published 3:02 am Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Members of the St. Clair County High School JROTC serve as Color Guard. Courtesy photo John Bryant
A scout pays his respects during the Dec. 14 Wreaths Across America ceremony at St. Clair Memorial Gardens in Pell City. Members of Scout Troop 198 and Pack 121 provided assistance with duties. Photo courtesy John Byrant
SFC Vicki Glover, a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Instructor at St. Clair County High School, recognizes guests as approximately 50 JROTC Cadets look on during the Dec. 14 ceremony. Photo courtesy John Byant
Members of Scout Troop 198 and Pack 121 next to the Remembrance Wreaths. Photo courtesy John Bryant
A scout salutes the grave of a veteran during the Dec. 14, Wreaths Across America ceremony. Photo courtesy John Bryant
Bridgett Junkin sings the National Anthem as St. Clair County High School JROTC Cadets serve as Color Guard. Photo courtesy John Bryant
Gen. Robert Holmes and a member of the St. Clair County High School JROTC places a ceremonial wreath for memberrs of the U.S. Army. Photo courtesy John Bryant
Accompanied by a member of the St. Clair County High School JROTC, Bert Broome, right, prepares to place a Remembrance Wreath for members of the United States Marine Corps. Photo courtesy John Bryant
Volunteers honor veterans during Wreaths Across America ceremony
For the sixth year, St. Clair Memorial Gardens in Pell City hosted the national Wreaths Across America Ceremony Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. Hosted by Usrey Funeral Home and Broken Arrow Chapter of National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, the event was part of the national nonprofit organization, with the mission to “Remember, Honor, Teach.”
This was the 33rd consecutive year of wreaths being placed at Arlington National Cemetery. It began in 1992, when Morrill Worcester, a Maine businessman and WAA founder, first delivered one truck of 5,000 wreaths to Arlington. Since then, the mission has grown exponentially — not just in the number of wreaths and locations, but also in the impact it has made in communities.
In 2023, approximately 3 million veterans’ wreaths were placed at 4,224 locations across the country, thanks to more than 3 million volunteers nationwide. More than a third of the volunteers were children. Hundreds of volunteer professional truck drivers — using donated rigs and fuel from more than 330 transportation partners — delivered 675 loads of wreaths across the country.
On Dec. 10, Usrey Funeral Home and Broken Arrow Chapter of NSDAR welcomed a driver-team with Big M Transportation in Blue Mountain, Miss. Drivers Thomas and Caleb volunteer to transport remembrance wreaths for Wreaths Across America from Maine to Pell City and deliver others to the National Cemetery at Montevallo. Leigh Pritchett, Dalton Hallman and Mindy and Keaton Manners offloaded 44 boxes, containing 528 wreaths.
The remembrance wreaths were placed on veterans’ graves in St. Clair Memorial Gardens, Valley Hill Cemetery and Oak Ridge Cemetery following the Dec. 14, ceremony at St. Clair Memorial Gardens. The ceremony included patriotic observances and guest speaker, Brigadier General Robert Holmes, USAF (Retired).
SFC Vicki Glover, a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Instructor at St. Clair County High School, served as mistress of ceremony. Bridgett Junkin sang the National Anthem and approximately 50 JROTC Cadets served as Color Guard, presenting The Colors.
Ceremonial wreaths were placed to honor both living and deceased members of each branch of the military. Placing these ceremonial wreaths were residents of Pell City’s Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home including: Morgan Yarbrough; Aubrey Blackwell; Bert Broome, Jr.; Wayne Kendrick; Van Taylor and Jerry Burns.
Bill Ramsey placed a remembrance wreath in honor of the 93,129 U.S. Servicemembers from all branches of the service whose last known status was either Prisoner of War or Missing in Action. These individuals have never returned to their families and homes.
In closing the ceremony, participants were invited to place remembrance wreaths in honor of almost 290 veterans interred at St. Clair Memorial Gardens and 150 veterans interred at Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Members of Scout Troop 198 and Pack 121 provided assistance with duties following the ceremony.
A second ceremony conducted by Jennifer Gover and Tonya Forman took place at noon at Rocky Zion Baptist Church in Pell City. Following that ceremony, approximately 200 remembrance wreaths were placed at Rocky Zion Cemetery; Coleman Cemetery (private); Blooming Light/Robinson Cemetery; First Baptist Church in Cropwell; Greenfield Cemetery and Mount Zion Cemetery.
A third Wreaths Across America Ceremony, conducted by Heather Mahaffey, was at 2 p.m. at Valley Hill Cemetery, where 100 remembrance wreaths were placed.
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
All Wreaths Across America Day events are non-political/religious events, open to all people. For more information, to donate or to sign up to volunteer, please visit WreathsAcrossAmerica.org/AL0074. For more information regarding Wreaths Across America Ceremonies in the Pell City area, contact Mindy Manners at mindy.manners@yahoo.com.
Another way to donate is at the Wreaths Across America St. Clair Memorial Gardens website, where wreaths can be sponsored for $17 each. Until January 17, 2025, WAA is matching all donations made through one of the 6,760 WAA Sponsorship Groups, such as Broken Arrow Chapter of NSDAR (AL0074) and Knights of Columbus Assembly 2972 (AL0091). During this time, a $34 donation sponsors 5 wreaths and an $85 donation sponsors 15 wreaths to be placed at a St. Clair Memorial Gardens, Valley Hill Cemetery and Oak Ridge Cemetery on Dec. 13, 2025.
