I’ve been a volunteer since I was a teenager. Over the years I have carefully chosen where I wanted to spend my volunteer hours. Several of the organizations I support are focused on preserving the legacies of our service members.
Childhood Memories Leading My Heart
I’ve been blessed with wonderful men in my life. Two fathers and a loving uncle. When I was just eight years old my first father passed away. My uncle Michael was in the Navy, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. When he returned, he moved in with my mother and me. Those years were filled with many cherished and joyful memories.
My uncle taught me how to make puppets using a light bulb and papier mâché and to make a head and neck. He told me stories of scaring the girls in his neighborhood with his puppets. We built forts out of our couch cushions and sat inside peering between the spaces between the cushions eating junk food, watching tv. He would tickle my feet in the living room till I laughed so much I thought I would pee my pants. For Christmas I really wanted walkie talkies. The present he had wrapped under the tree was too tempting. I thought I was being sneaky, that I carefully peeled back the paper to see what the end of the box looked like. To my surprise when I opened the present, I didn’t find walkie talkies in the box….. he got me back for peaking. Ultimately, he gave me the walkie talkies, but he also taught me a lesson. (I wasn’t as sneaky as I thought). My uncle always told me he thought of me as a little sister not a niece. I treasured our relationship and think of him often.
Searching for a Way to Preserve his Legacy
After my uncle’s passing I wanted to find a way to honor him, but nothing felt quite right. I thought about the Diabetes Association as that was his primary ailment.
When I became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution I learned about and was drawn to an organization called Wreaths Across America. Their mission is Remember, Honor, Teach. Remember those who have passed and sacrificed their lived for our country, Honor those who continue to serve our nation and teach our children the value of freedom.
Quite frankly it didn’t dawn on me until a few months after I joined Wreaths Across America as a volunteer Location Coordinator that I was honoring not only the Veterans buried in our local Cemetery, but also my uncle Michael, a Navy Vietnam Veteran.
Supporting Veterans Year Round
Across the United States more than 4,200 cemeteries participate in this ceremony on the same day in December. I coordinate the Wreaths Across America ceremony in Saratoga CA. Our town residents come together to lay 1,422 wreaths at the graves of veterans buried in Madronia Cemetery. We say each of their names out loud as a wreath is placed on their grave, so they continue to be remembered every year. A portion of every donation to Wreaths Across America supports veterans and their families through its Group Sponsorship Program.
It is said that you die twice, once when you stop breathing and the second time when someone says your name for the last time. For me, every wreath placed is more than a symbol. It is a promise that history’s forgotten voices—like my uncle’s and my grandfather’s—will never fade into silence.
If you would like to honor a family member or close friend who has sacrificed their lives for our country visit https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/ to find a participating Cemetery. If you have questions on how to make sure a grave specific wreath is placed for your loved one or have questions you can contact https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/About/ContactUs
I love this. Volunteering is so important and using it to keep a legacy alive just adds a whole layer of specialness to it.