Record-setting wreaths: Nearly 30,000 laid at Jefferson Barracks graves
St. Louis Post-DispatchDec 18, 2018
Klier, 72, an
The wreaths Klier laid were among about 30,000 donated wreaths placed on the graves of American service members at
The nonprofit effort works with local groups to coordinate wreath-laying ceremonies at more than 1,400 sites the country in conjunction with a national minute of silence and the laying of wreaths at
Klier, a member of a volunteer motorcycle group called
But honoring them with holiday wreaths as he has done for the past five years is different from other ceremonies honoring military service.
"Certain times and certain things trigger memories," he said. "It's a little more than just honoring their service. Today I'm also honoring my personal memories with them around the holidays."
The wreath-laying ceremony Saturday, which was attended by more than 3,000 people, was the second coordinated by the Gateway Blue Star Mothers, the local chapter of a nonprofit of mothers with sons or daughters in the armed forces.
Last year the group also collected a record number of wreaths donated by friends and family of dead service members as well as local nonprofit groups and businesses, receiving a total of about 13,000 wreaths, up from about 1,400 in 2016.
In the early years of the effort, there were on average about 1,500 wreaths or fewer, said
"This is a good way for us to give back," said Eveld, whose late grandfather served in World War II and is buried with her grandmother at
This year, 11,000 wreaths were sponsored by friends and family of veterans for placement at specific graves, Eveld said. About 3,000 wreaths honored unknown soldiers by special request of a cemetery employee. Every unknown soldier received a wreath.
Other cemeteries in the area, including
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Editor's note: This replaces an earlier version that incorrectly referenced Klier's father's role in the secodn paragraph.
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