Monday Matters: Van Buren VFW to honor veterans at Christmas

Oct. 21--Robert W. Jack VFW Post 1322 in Van Buren has taken on a special project to honor fallen veterans during the Christmas season.

With more than 500 military veterans buried at Gracelawn and Gill cemeteries in Van Buren, the post has partnered with the local branch of Wreaths Across America to obtain 300 wreaths to place on veterans' graves at those cemeteries during the holiday.

Fundraising is underway to buy another 300 wreaths with bows at $5 each from Walmart to have enough for the remaining veterans' graves. The first 300 were purchased for $1 each from Wreaths Across America, so $650 is required by the VFW post to complete a $1,500 goal, according to Post Quartermaster Matt Hicks.

"It's very important we honor our veterans every chance we get," said Nicole Licari of the VFW Post 1322 Auxiliary. "There are people buried who don't have family here anymore. That veteran deserves their grave to be decorated to remember their honor and courage."

David Thompson of the Post 1322 Auxiliary echoed those sentiments.

"Veterans are being forgotten and we want to honor those veterans," said Thompson, who is not a veteran but joined the Auxiliary to honor his father.

For those veterans who do have family members in the area who want to participate in the laying of the wreaths, Hicks said those family members will be given the first opportunity to lay a wreath on Dec. 15. VFW Post 1322 members and volunteers will then place the remaining wreaths at 2 p.m. that day.

The Van Buren VFW post adopted these cemeteries several years ago for general upkeep help and flag placement on Memorial Day. A memorial for the post's namesake is at Gill Cemetery. Jack died in World War I and is buried in France.

The post members began a discussion for the Christmas wreath project last Christmas, speaking with Phillip Merry of the local Wreaths Across America about having some wreaths donated after that organization purchased 17,000 new wreaths for its annual event at the Fort Smith National Cemetery.

They worked out a $1 price because the wreaths were purchased with public donations, Hicks said. The new wreaths are being purchased from Walmart are $4 each with a $1 red bow, Hicks said.

ABF Freight got involved and donated a trailer to store wreaths and other items at the VFW post. Hicks said the trailer donation was by chance during an awards ceremony for a Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice's of youth essay contest. Jentry Myers of Van Buren won the essay contest and earned a trip to Washington, D.C. She also placed eighth nationally in the essay contest. Myers' father works for ABF and got wind of the wreaths project.

Members of the Van Buren VFW -- documented as the oldest VFW post in Arkansas -- have placed American flags on veterans' graves at Grace Lawn and Gill cemeteries for several years now on Memorial Day. Yeagers ACE Hardware and Shopper's Value Van Buren have donated flags for that service over the years. USA Truck and Experian in Van Buren have also supported the VFW's Memorial Day flag placements, Hicks said.

As they do with the flag service, two teams of VFW members will take part in the laying of the Christmas wreaths on Dec. 15.

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