Carolyn Addington,Trammel’s Trace chapter regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution, is reading words of dedication before the placing of wreaths on the graves of veterans at the Courtland Cemetery in Queen City. In the background at right is t
James Coats of Bivins, a 30-year veteran and member of the U. S. Military, is saluting the grave of Lawrence Conner in the Courtland Cemetery after placing its memorial wreath. Coats, a McLeod High School graduate,returned home to this area in 2019 after
The wreaths for veterans are being delivered for placement on veterans’ graves during the recent Wreaths Across America commemoration.The memorial placements are being made locally by the Trammel’s Trace Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolu
Wreaths for Courtland Cemetery
On Saturday, Dec. 14, members of local veteran remembrance groups gathered at the Courtland Cemetery to place wreaths. The occasion was the Wreaths Across America (WAA) event which is a non-profit effort to place wreaths on veterans’ graves in military cemeteries.
The national program began in December of 2008 when the United States Senate voted to make the second or third Saturday of December Wreaths Across America Day.
Some 90 wreaths were placed this day at the Courtland Cemetery by members of the Trammel’s Trace Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Earlier, the local civic-minded groups had placed 20 wreaths in the Old Liberty Cemetery near Antioch. Cass County has some 268 cemeteries which have been read and recorded in eight volumes by the Cass County Genealogical Society.
“We are here to remember not their deaths but their lives,” said Chapter Regent Carolyn Addington who conducted the ceremony prior to the placing of wreaths. Addington is a volunteer who is surveying cemeteries for the graves of veterans to be recognized. She also guides other volunteers especially on Wreaths Across America Day “It’s a beautiful tribute,” added one of the participants as he walked with a wreath.
The wreaths of green fronds and red bows were made possible by sponsors who included the Trammel’s Trace DAR, the Ark-La-Tex Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, Gertrude Curtright of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Col. John West Chapter of Colonial Dames, Daughters of the Republic of Texas and other friends and supporters.