Veterans and their families gathered Saturday at Memorial Gardens in Poplar Bluff to mark the graves of 870 soldiers during a Wreaths Axross America ceremony. They also gathered to honor those who serve and teach the next generation the value of freedom.
Rain did not dampen the local event, organized by the Poplar Bluff chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
Margaret Shackleford of the local NSDAR extended thanks “to the hundreds of our Poplar Bluff citizens, businesses and civic organization for your most generous gifts for financial sponsorship, time and resources, which has made this event possible.”
Shackleford quoted a speech by the late President Ronald Reagan: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was like in the United States where men were free.”
Proclamations were presented by Missouri Rep. Cameron Bunting Parker of the 150th District, Missouri Rep. Hardy Billington of the 152nd District and Poplar Bluff Mayor Shane Cornman. Retired Col. Douglas C. Rose Jr. offered the keynote address.
The Billy Gene Kanell JROTC Battalion of Poplar Bluff High School presented and retired the colors. Owen Cato of Cub Scout Pack 60 led the Pledge of Allegiance and Jim Todd sang the National Anthem. Jane Worley of the local NSDAR offered the invocation. Steve Winters played taps.
Veterans and their families who joined in the ceremonial wreath laying were Jerry Sneathern, Jesse Wells, Peggy Montgomery, Eric Wheat, Tom Rankin, Bardis Dismuke and Melanie Summers.
Shackleford thanked the school for allowing the National Honor Society and Beta Club earlier to place the field flags on the veterans graves.
She praised Ozark Border Electric Cooperative, who received the wreaths on a transport truck from Maine and unloaded them. Additionally, Brian Munson of First Baptist Church used the church’s van to transport people from across the highway to the cemetery, and FCC Behavioral Health and the First Church of God allowed those attending to use their park lots.
Shackleford thanked the Ozark Regional Recycling Center staff, Ryan McKinley of Poplar Bluff Realty and the Daily American Republic newspaper for helping, as well as Steve and Susan Gillihan and the owners and the staff of Memorial Gardens for sponsoring the location and reviewing the cemetery’s years of records to find the veterans to honor.