Volunteers needed to place wreaths at 2,300 veteran graves in Mountain View Cemetery

Each year, millions of American come together to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and their families and teach the next generation about the value of freedom.

This gathering of volunteers and patriots takes place in local, state and national cemeteries in all 50 states as part of the national Wreaths Across America Remembrance Day.

In 2023, more than 3.3 million veterans wreaths were placed by volunteers on veterans graves at 4,000 participating locations around the country in honor the service and sacrifices made for our freedoms with each name said out loud. This year, we will have over 4,400 participating locations.

Wreaths Across America volunteers work year-round to ensure military laid to rest are remembered, their families and living veterans are honored and the next generation is taught about the value of freedom.

This year, Mountain View Cemetery, 7900 E. Main St. in Mesa will be the cemetery for the East Valley. There will be a ceremony starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14th and wreath laying at 10 a.m. We invite you to join us to honor the veterans. Please bring a lawnchair to enjoy the ceremony.

This is a free event and open to the public and we need your help. There are nearly 2,300 veteran graves in Mountain View Cemetery. We would like to have enough wreaths sponsored for each veteran grave and we also need volunteers to help us lay the wreaths.

You can help us on this mission by visiting www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/az0190p; or you can mail your check to Wreaths Across America, c/o Nancy Fassbender 4657 S. Desert Dawn, Gold Canyon, AZ 85118. Each wreath is $17 and we have 150 more wreaths to be sponsored.

A special thank you to all who for the fourth year in a row have stepped up to help sponsor a wreath. Our major sponsors are American First, American Furniture Warehouse, Crescent Crown, Guild Mortgage, Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 2560, VFW Post 9399 Auxiliary, Mountain View Cemetery and Texas RoadHouse in Gilbert.

Our guest speaker will be Adjutant Gen. Kerry Muehlenbeck and we will have the honor of the Hugh O’Conor Memorial Pipe Band perform.

Please join us at this moving ceremony. If you have never had the privilege of being a part of this ceremony, you can be assured it is something that will stay with you as deeply touching respectful and unique.

Register to be a volunteer at this event at nfass@hotmail.com. Bashas and Starbucks will be providing donuts and coffee and Texas Roadhouse will be providing lunch for all those who come. So please register so that we can have a basic count.