Wreaths Across America to honor veterans at Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery

FALLBROOK – Wreaths Across America announced the Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery will be an official location for the first time, participating in the national event to remember and honor veterans during the holiday season.

American Heritage Girls Troop CA3125 invites the community to the Wreaths Across America ceremony Saturday, Dec. 16 at 9 a.m. at the Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery.

Following the ceremony, sponsored wreaths will be placed upon the veterans’ graves throughout the cemetery.

Wreaths Across America was established with the mission of “Remember, Honor, Teach.”

“This program is a great way to teach our young girls to honor our traditions, and recognize the sacrifices our veterans have made for our country,” Melissa Burke, American Heritage Girls troop coordinator, said. Burke, also a veteran, established the Fallbrook American Heritage Girls Troop in 2015.

Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, there are coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and at over 1,200 locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad. In 2016, over 1.2 million wreaths were laid across America and beyond.

During ceremonies held at cemeteries around the world, wreaths are laid on the graves of veterans and their names are said. They are thanked for their service and are told they will not be forgotten. The wreaths will remain on the graves during the entire holiday season.

“A person dies twice: Once when they take their final breath, and later, the last time their name is spoken. We do not just ‘decorate graves.’ We remember not their deaths, but their lives,” Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America, said.

American Heritage Girls is a faith-based character development program for girls age five through 18. The girls who advance through the American Heritage Girls program do so by serving their community through acts of kindness and community service. The Fallbrook troop, in keeping with their mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country, has adopted the Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery for the 2017 National Wreaths Across America Day.

“This is an opportunity to create a shared experience for our community, which crosses generations. It is a tradition that honors our past and the men and women who have sacrificed for us,” Burke said.

The Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery is located at 1177 Santa Margarita Drive. The public is invited to attend the ceremony. Individuals interested in sponsoring a wreath should visit http://bit.ly/AHG3125. To volunteer with the wreath-laying ceremony, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.

For more information about American Heritage Girls, visit www.americanheritagegirls.com.