Wreaths to be laid at U.S. National Cemetery Saturday

Tribune file photo Wreaths decorate several gravestones at the Fort Scott National Cemetery following a past Wreaths Across America ceremony at the cemetery. More than 2,500 wreaths were placed at the 2015 ceremony and for this year's ceremony, set for Saturday at the cemetery, more than 3,600 wreaths will be placed at grave sites.

Organizers of the local Wreaths Across America project are getting closer to their goal.

Kevin Wagner, volunteer coordinator for the project, said Monday there will be a total of 3,629 wreaths placed on headstones at Fort Scott National Cemetery Saturday during the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony.

"We've increased it over 1,100 wreaths from last year," Wagner said.

The ceremony is designed to honor veterans of each branch of the military, the Merchant Marine as well as prisoners of war and those still missing in action.

Wagner said the number of volunteers helping with the project has also increased this year, with volunteer help coming from such surrounding states as Missouri and Arkansas. He said the Fort Scott High School Class of 1966 got together and purchased 106 wreaths to honor their fellow classmate, Alan Wayne Breshears, U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman, Third Class, who died fighting for his country during the Vietnam War.

Wagner said several groups made donations throughout the year to help purchase wreaths, most of which came after September and October. He said businesses sponsor T-shirts that are made for the event. Other fundraisers are held throughout the year.

"Most of the wreaths are purchased through individual donations," he said.

Wagner said the annual Ride for the Wreath, which took place in August this year, is the biggest annual fundraiser for the project. At that event, participants bike through the county and other activities are held with proceeds benefiting Wreaths Across America. That event began in 2013.

"Thank you, whether you donated money for the effort, bought a wreath for a loved one, bought cookies/sold cookies, bought or sold a cup of soup/chili, rode in a motorcycle ride, bought a ticket to win a prize, crocheted an American flag afghan in two weeks or bought a ticket to win the afghan, got your class together to buy wreaths or told a friend about the Wreaths Across America project, none of this would have been possible without supporters from the four-state area," Wagner said in an e-mail. "We were able to lay over 2,581 wreaths last year and to be able to provide our heroes with over a thousand more wreaths is just one of the reasons I am proud to call this place my home."

Wagner said the ultimate goal is to raise enough funds to purchase remembrance wreaths for each of the 5,700 headstones at the cemetery. He said with this year's total, the group is more than halfway there.

"I think it's incredible," he said. "This is Fort Scott National Cemetery, and the whole four states has gotten behind this. This is bigger than just the community of Fort Scott. It's reaching out, which is great. And we've been helped out by word of mouth as well, people telling their friends about it."

In 2015, organizers were able to triple the number of wreaths placed in 2014.