On a cold Monday afternoon, folks gathered together and rounded up the Veteran wreaths from the Fairview and Memory Gardens cemeteries that were laid on December 14.
Over 2,500 wreaths were laid upon the graves of fallen veterans as part of the Wreaths Across America annual event, 2024 being the first year Pampa was part of the special event organized by Altrusa International of Pampa.
Raising money in just a few short months for the 2,565 wreaths, the event was a major success and Altrusan Lynne Moore says it was the community who made it happen.
“I think the biggest thing is we were hoping that this would be a community event, and they showed up,” she said. “There were youth groups, service groups, kids-and there were a lot of people we didn’t know. There were probably between 125-150 people at each cemetery on December 14. And because there were so many who came to help, the ceremony only took about an hour, an hour and a half. It was really amazing to see.”
The experience of the event was not only emotional, but humbling as well, for the Wreaths Across America’s motto, Remember, Honor, and Teach, could be seen on that day.
“It really was special to see the elementary-aged children that came out,” Lynne said. “People were thankful that they were given the opportunity to teach the younger ones about our veterans and honor them, which is what this organization is all about.”
“I think the beauty of it is what drew the community to come out together as well as the time of year. It was really emotional for a lot of us and it really makes you stop and think that our freedoms truly aren’t free.”
