Matthew Burnette, Staff Writer

Crowds gathered at various locations on Dec. 13 to celebrate Wreaths Across America Day in Coffee County.

Ceremonies were held on the Manchester Square, Hurricane Grove Cemetery and Fredonia Cemetery in Manchester, Maplewood Cemetery and Oakwood Cemetery in Tullahoma, and Beech Grove Confederate Cemetery in Beech Grove.

Wreaths Across America distributes wreaths that are placed in honor or in memory of military veterans. The goal of the program is to “remember the fallen, honor those that served and their families and to teach the next generation the value of freedom.”

Cyndi Clower, the organizer for Wreaths Across America- Coffee County, emceed the program on the Square and led the crowd in singing the National Anthem. U.S. Air Force Chaplin Marty Nutter gave the invocation.

Clower explained that the Square was one of 5,000 participating locations in Wreaths Across America Day and that there were millions of Americans gathering safely as one nation to remember, honor and teach.

“We are all proud to be Americans that live in a free society made up of many people from many walks of life,” she said. “The freedoms we enjoy today have not come without a price, and in cemeteries throughout this nation are men and women who gave their lives so that we can live in freedom and without fear.”

Clower read a famous quote by Ronald Reagan to emphasize the need to teach younger generations about the sacrifices made by service members.

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction,” she recited. “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 once like in the United States where men were free.”

This year’s ceremony saw service members team up with members of Manchester’s Heritage Girl’s Troop to place memorial and honorary wreaths for each branch of service as well as those designated as Prisoners of War and Missing in Action.

Junior Vice Commander of V.F.W. Post 10904 and Air Force Veteran Christy Conley laid a veterans’ wreath in honor of those who are serving in the U.S. Space Force.

She said that this year’s program hit a little harder for her and her fellow VFW members after the loss of Bob Brinkmann, the local V.F.W., American Legion and D.A.V. chapters’ Chaplain.

“I think that hit a little bit differently,” she said. “Putting these wreaths out for those who have passed, we also honor those that won’t be here this holiday season, so this is why, out of all the things we do this time of year, this is the most important to me.”

The Hurricane Creek Cemetery ceremony was led by Coffee County Trustee John Marchisoni. Marchosini said before the ceremony that it’s always a heartwarming program.

“One year, we were at Hurricane Grove, and it was freezing cold and spitting snow, and during the invocation, an eagle flew over the ceremony,” he recalled.

Members of the Coffee County Central High School Air Force Junior Air Force ROTC placed the ceremonial wreaths at Hurricane Grove.

CCCHS ROTC Senior Master Sergeant Patrick Lazarus noted after the program that it is important to teach all kids about the sacrifices made by veterans to protect the Constitution from both foreign and domestic enemies.

“We’re trying to pass those things on to them and give them a good, healthy respect for the veterans and the people that came before them that gave up their lives, some of them, and some of them chose to serve and we want them to appreciate that and understand the sacrifice,” he said.

Lazarus said that this year’s program was one of the largest turnouts of Junior ROTC members.

“We make this completely voluntarily for them, and this is a great turnout,” he noted. “It just shows you the commitment these kids have to doing some great things in this community.”