National tradition comes to Morgan Hill as volunteers place 309 wreaths
Published in the December 24, 2014 – January 6, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Photo by Gaylis Ghaderi
Volunteers place wreaths on gravesites at Mount Hope Cemetery in Morgan Hill.
As a sheet of fog embraced Morgan Hill’s Mount Hope Cemetery, a group of volunteers laid holiday wreaths on the graves of military veterans to honor them and their families for their service. Among them Saturday Dec. 13 was local councilmember Larry Carr who participated in this year’s Wreaths Across America event which is held at more than 1,000 cemeteries across the United States.
“I didn’t know what to expect, and I was just overwhelmed by the number of people who turned out and volunteered to take a moment to lay a wreath on a veteran’s grave-site,” he said. “It was a cold, misty morning and people took the time to be there. It was really heart-warming.”
In Morgan Hill, 309 wreaths were placed on the cemetery’s graves and two were placed on the downtown Veterans Memorial. More than 1,000 wreaths were placed on veterans’ graves at Gavilan Hills and St. Mary’s cemeteries in Gilroy that same morning. The event was organized by Tere Johnson, a former employee of Johnson Funeral Home in Morgan Hill, and Mark Turner, the president/CEO of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce.
Carr called the wreath-laying event a tribute to the spirit of Morgan Hill in remembering the men and women who gave years of their lives in serving the United States through military activity.
Photo by Gaylis Ghaderi
The U.S Marine Color Guard stands at attention at the laying of the wreaths.
“Usually during the Fourth of July we like to call Morgan Hill an all-American city, but we are that during all times of the year,” he said. “It was really heartwarming to be a part of it. Being this time of year, the holiday season, made it even more special.”
Johnson said this year marks the 150th anniversary of Arlington National Cemetery, which makes this year’s Wreaths Across America event extra special because the nonprofit organization got its start in that Virginia cemetery laying wreaths on veterans’ graves 23 years ago.
The tradition has spread nationally and this is the first year that Morgan Hill and Gilroy have participated. Turner and Johnson started the process of fundraising at this year’s Independence Day Parade in Morgan Hill. Over the months, donations came in to buy more than 1,300 wreaths which cost $15 a piece.
The Mount Hope service started at 9 a.m. with Johnson telling participants about the history of the Wreaths Across America tradition.
Photo by Marty Cheek
Hundreds of wreaths were placed on the graves of service men and women.
Phil Strong, who served in the Air Force during the Korean War, spoke about why Americans should never forget service people. He was followed by Pastor Billy Morin singing a Tim McGraw song “If You’re Reading This” about a letter written by a military man to his wife sent to her following his death. A U.S. Marine color-guard presented the flag followed by the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.
As people placed wreaths on graves, Johnson encouraged them to read the grave marker inscription and think of the person they were honoring as once having a life where he or she perhaps raised a family, had a career, and other aspects of an individual’s time on Earth.
“I would say people appreciated having an opportunity to honor veterans in general and family members in particular,” he said. “There were actually some people who traveled from the Los Gatos-Saratoga area as well as San Jose. There were three sisters who live in San Jose but they have their father (buried) here in Morgan Hill. So they were thrilled because they were able to come and honor their father here.”
The Wreaths Across America event also has a component of teaching young people to appreciate what U.S. service men and women have done to protect the freedoms that they enjoy, Johnson said. He visited local high schools and youth groups at churches to encourage teenagers to attend the event.
“It’s really to help educate the next generation on the significance of what our service people have done over the years for us,” he said.
Johnson described the event as a solemn occasion. For many graves, they would be the first people to pay their respects for years, many even decades, since someone passed away, he said.
He encourages Morgan Hill residents to visit Mount Hope Cemetery and view the wreaths decorating the various veteran graves.
“If you haven’t already done so, you should take the time to visit the cemetery and just walk around. It’s very inspiring.”
The event almost didn’t come through as planned. The organization in Maine that makes the wreaths had some logistical challenges transporting the wreaths to Morgan Hill in time for the Saturday ceremony.
“It was a little touch and go because they had so many locations this year,” Johnson said. “At one point we were told we were not going to get the wreaths until Monday, so I got on the phone and made some calls. And they said they would hand-deliver them at 5:30 Saturday morning.”
Morgan Hill’s The Home Depot store loaned Johnson a truck and he drove to Gilroy and loaded it with 35 cases with nine wreaths per case.
“It’s really to honor the veterans as well as the families to remember the men and women who have served our country and have made sacrifices,” Johnson said. “Even if they did not see active duty, they still are away from their families. We honor the families as well.”
The event also helps people see the spiritual significance of the holiday season through giving of their time to lay wreaths on veterans graves, Carr said.
“This is a busy time of year for people, and Saturday morning is when a lot of us are getting up to go to the mall and take care of our gift-giving,” he said. “But 75 people decided that they would go lay wreaths on veteran’s grave-sites, and I think they chose the right place to be.”
