WHEATLAND – ‘Tis the season.  

Christmastime often brings together families from near and far. We gather in houses decorated with lights and tensile. 

We cherish new memories made with our families and we reflect on those members who are no longer with us.
In remembrance, some of us will gather in special places and some of us will cook a favorite dish. A few may visit cemeteries and leave behind holiday decorations, so our loved ones can celebrate and be remembered too. 
Those who have gone before us are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. Some of them are also United States Military Veterans. 

Each December, more than 4,000 locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and aboard, carry out wreath-laying ceremonies in cemeteries in effort to remember, honor and reach. 

Since 2008, Congress proclaims a Saturday in December as National Wreaths Across America Day, every year. The event occurs on December 16, this year.  

According to the Wreaths across American website, “Anyone who wants to offer a small gesture of gratitude for the freedoms Americans enjoy can volunteer at a wreath laying ceremony to assist in saying veteran names aloud and thanking them for their service.”

For the last many years, Ruth Herdt, of Wheatland, has been organizing the local campaign along with the VFW Axillary to place wreaths on the graves of 1,550 US Veterans.

“We started in 2019,” Herdt said. “We joined with the civil air patrol to help them out because they are such a small group and they wanted to know if we could help them out and so we joined in and we have worked with them ever since.”

Herdt and her group of approximately 12-20 volunteers place live, balsam veteran’s wreaths on the headstones of our fallen heroes at the Wheatland cemetery however wreaths are distributed at five additional cemeteries throughout Platte County. 

Each location is led by a group of volunteers.

“The axillary over in Guernsey and post put theirs out and they have always used the youth challenge kids, but they obviously can’t do that this year,” Herdt explained. “I think they are getting some kids from the school to help.”

Family members can sponsor a wreath for their military loved one’s graves if they order by November 24. 

The cost of each wreath is $17 and discounts apply for larger orders. The community is also encouraged to purchase a wreath for any of the military veterans with a donation purchase.
“Your donation will ensure the placement of a veteran’s wreath for one of more veterans laid to rest at the participating locations of your choice,” the order form explains. 

Sponsored wreaths are sent to the participating locations and placed on the military graves. 

“We are down on wreaths this year,” Herdt explained. “We are struggling. We are pretty sure we’re going to get Chugwater, Glendo, Wheatland and Guernsey cover. I am still working with Hartville but I don’t think we are going to have much luck with Fort Laramie this year.”

Donations have been lower this year, according to Herdt, which as attributed to a smaller amount of wreaths to place this year.

“We don’t really know why,” Herdt explained. “We are not sure. It could be the economy.” 

Getting involved with local wreath laying ceremonies.

“This year it will be December 16 at ten o’clock at our VFW post in Wheatland,” Herdt said. “What we do, throughout the whole Nation, at ten o’clock, we read ceremonial speech. It takes like five minutes. Then you escort the ceremonially wreaths, which there is a wreath for each branch of the military that has the flags on it, and you escort those flags to the cemetery, to the monument,” she explained. 

According to Herdt, Wheatland’s cemetery is the only cemetery in the area that gets the ceremonially wreaths because Wheatland serves as the hub area for the organization.

The Torrington area doesn’t currently have Wreaths across American group. However, joining the group isn’t difficult, according to Herdt. 

“Mainly what you have to do as the organizer is, you have to obviously organize the ceremony and then you have to get wreath orders,” Herdt said. “It gets more intense the closer you get to the final cutoff date to get your wreaths ordered. If you don’t, you don’t have the amount that you need. You basically must get your location, set up with Wreaths across America and then you get your wreaths ordered,” Herdt explained. 

Wreaths can still be purchased until November 24 on the Wreaths across America website. https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org or by contact Herdt at 307-331-1286.

Wreaths for next year’s ceremony can also be purchased after the 16th of December.

“Shortly after the ceremony, they haven’t given me an official date yet, in that next week for two or three weeks, they run a special on wreath orders. If I buy one wreath, they will give us one wreath free. That’s the best time to order your wreaths because you get double the amount.”

Herdt is anticipating purchasing nearly 1,600 wreaths and she says all of this wouldn’t be possible without the help of other organizations such as the VFW Post and Auxiliary of Guernsey and American Legion Auxiliary in Glendo for helping fundraise and hang the wreaths as well in their communities.