The Coffee County Wreaths Across America Committee will be placing wreaths on veterans graves in several local cemeteries on Saturday Dec. 14th. The public is invited to attend and participate.
The day will start with a ceremony at the old county courthouse on the square in Manchester at the war memorials at 9 a.m. Memorial wreaths for each of the armed services plus the Coast Guard and Merchant Marine as well as POW/MIA will be placed there during a brief ceremony.
At 11 a.m. ceremonies will be held at Oakwood Cemetery in Tullahoma, Hurricane Grove Cemetery just north of I-24 exit 105, Beech Grove Confederate Cemetery in Beech Grove and Shofners Cemetery. This is the same time that a Wreaths Across America ceremony will begin at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
At approximately noon there will be a ceremony at Mt. Zion Halley Church Cemetery in Bedford County. Then at 1 p.m. a ceremony will be held at Freidonia Cemetery in rural Coffee County. Also Memorial Wreaths will be placed at Citizens Cemetery in Tullahoma and at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens on Highway 55 in Tullahoma.
Wreaths Across America has placed wreaths on military veterans graves at Arlington National Cemetery for 27 years. The program has grown to more than 1600 cemeteries nation-wide in 2019.
The Coffee County Wreaths Across America Committee will be placing wreaths on military veterans graves in Coffee County cemeteries for the third year and Bedford County for the first time.
The committee was formed in 2017 and that year placed wreaths on some 300 military veterans graves at Oakwood Cemetery and Citizens Cemetery in Tullahoma and Hurricane Grove Cemetery in Coffee County just north of I-24 exit 105.
In 2018 the committee added Fredonia Cemetery in Coffee County with almost 100 military graves. Another group worked with the committee to place wreaths on Revolutionary War and Civil War graves at the Beach Grove Confederate Cemetery.
This year the group added Shofners and Mt. Zion Halley Cemeteries in Bedford County.
One hundred percent of all funds collected locally is used to order and place wreaths on military veterans graves.
A donation of $15 sponsors one wreath- $30 sponsors two wreaths – $75 sponsors five wreaths and $150 sponsors 10 wreaths.
Checks should be made out to Wreaths Across America and dropped off or mailed to Cyndi Clower (931) 728-9898 at Clower Automotive at 1406 McArthur St., Manchester TN 37355. Wreaths Across America is an IRS 501c3 non-profit and donations are tax deductible.
If you would like to volunteer to help raise funds or help place wreaths call Bobbie Morse at (931) 247-4545 or Cyndi Clower at (931) 728-9898.
Like last year the wreaths committee expects help at each cemetery from high school junior ROTC units from Coffee County Central High Schoo, and Tullahoma High School, Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops, veterans and local civic groups.
For more information contact Claude Morse at (931) 247-5151 or tnhonorflight@gmail.com
