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And we remember...
A small group of people gathered at Carl Miller Park on Saturday to pay tribute to military service members across the United States as part of a coordinated, nationwide observance.
At exactly 10 a.m. that day, veterans in the Mountain Home community took part in an event that simultaneously began at more than 800 locations in all 50 states as part of year's Wreaths Across America Day observance.
Representatives from the American Legion posts here were among the estimated 100,000 volunteers that placed 200,000 wreaths during these observances.
"The safety and security of our nation is guaranteed by ordinary Americans who are called upon to do extraordinary things," said State Senator Bert Brackett, who served as this year's guest speaker. "Men and women like those we are honoring today are the real people who secure our freedoms and keep us safe."
Celebrating its fifth anniversary in Mountain Home, Wreaths Across America focused on three goals -- remembering the nation's fallen veterans, honoring those who currently serve in harm's way and to teach children the price these men and women pay in the defense of freedom, said Troy Wilkins, a spokesman with American Legion Post 26 in Mountain Home.
"The Wreaths Across America program is one of the most impressive acts of gratitude American citizens pay to our fallen heroes each year," Brackett added. "People are gathering in good weather and in bad to pay tribute... to the men and women who have died protecting our freedoms."
While Veterans Day and Memorial Day are set aside to remember those who perished in service to their country, it's important that the nation not confine its efforts to remember our nation's heroes to just two days a year, the senator said.
"We should remember them every day and particularly during the Christmas season -- a time of joy and gratitude," he added.
During the ceremony, members from local veterans organizations stepped forward to place the specially designated wreaths in front of flags representing the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine as well as current and former prisoners of war and those still missing in action.
"The small gesture of placing a wreath at a grave site is just a fraction of the debt owed to our servicemen and women," Brackett said.
They also represent the nation's commitment as a united America to remember the fallen, Wilkins added.
Americans need to remember how the nation is able to enjoy these freedoms as the holiday season approaches, Wilkins emphasized. It took tremendous sacrifices over the generations made by men and women who fought and died for to secure the liberties all Americans enjoy.
He then quoted the words of Pierre Claeyssens, a veteran who was drafted into the Belgium army and later immigrated to the United States.
"To be killed in a war is not the worst that can happen. To be lost is not the worst. To be forgotten is the worst," Claeyssens said.
Saturday's nationwide event carried on a tradition originally known as the Arlington Wreath Program that was started by Morrill Worcester. His legacy began during his first visit to Arlington National Cemetery when he was 12 years old.
In 1992, Worcester donated and helped lay 5,000 Christmas wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery. For the Maine native, it became an annual journey to the national cemetery.
The yearly wreath laying remained a relatively obscure event until 2005 when a photo of the stones adorned with wreaths and covered in snow circulated around the Internet, according to a statement from the national organization.
Many of the people attending Saturday's event included veterans of past wars and conflicts that America has had to fight to protect the innocent and oppressed, Wilkins said.
"Few communities in America understand the sacrifices made by servicemen and women and by their family members than the community of Mountain Home," Brackett added. "And few communities in America work as hard to show their gratitude."
It's a lesson that children here and across the nation need to understand -- a desire to put others and their country before themselves, he added. It helps them understand that the safety and security of this nation "isn't bestowed or guaranteed by government officials or by government itself."
It's made possible through the price paid by those who serve this country, Brackett said.
These men and women deserve a moment of time to receive a "thank you" for these sacrifices, Wilkins added.