News Wreaths Across America: Mount Auburn families honor veterans buried there

Mount Auburn natives have helped add that town’s cemetery to a growing list of places where the Christmas season will include an annual tribute to soldiers.

Ruth Coots Intlekofer helped organize the “Wreaths Across America” campaign for the Mount Auburn Cemetery, where on Saturday, scores of area residents gathered to honor the 99 veterans buried there.

Local Scouts and the Cedar-Mount Auburn Fire Department joined in the tribute. Firefighters welcomed visitors and presented each veteran with a poppy. The Scouts participated in the flag waving and helped place the wreaths. Chad Newton played Taps after the final wreath was placed.

Jim Lentfer of the Iowa Rolling Thunder chapter also spoke; his group helped provide the MIA/POW Chair of Honor which was recently dedicated in Mount Auburn, in memory of the 93,000 Americans who have not returned home from war.

“I’m very grateful for the turnout and positive comments from by people who attended. Most did not know what to expect or what the program is really about,” said Intlekofer. “I also think it is something you can't put into words, but have to experience to get a true feeling of the recognition for our veterans.”

Several of the Coots family ancestors who are buried there are veterans. The Coots were among several Mount Auburn area families who attended together in honor of  their veteran ancestors. Intlekofer and her husband, Mike, drove from their home in the St. Louis area to participate in the program.

During the ceremony, Intlekofer told the crowd that Wreaths Across America now includes 1,000 cemeteries throughout the nation. Each cemetery was the site of a tribute to veterans that began at noon Eastern Time, and included many of the same spoken tributes.

The ceremony included presentation of wreaths in honor of each of the Nation’s military branches.

The program will become an annual event, she said; next year’s event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015. Mount Auburn is just the sixth Iowa cemetery to be accepted into the Wreaths Across America campaign.

The wreaths are made fresh every year; in mid-January, the members of Scout Troop 47 will gather and dispose of the wreaths. Those who want to order a wreath for a veteran buried there can call Intlekofer at 636-262-7818. Cost is $15 each.

“I have already begun receiving orders for next year,” she says.

About Wreaths Across America

Wreaths Across America began in 1992 when Morrill Worcester of Maine placed some extra wreaths from his company’s inventory on graves at Arlington National Cemetery. The Intlekofers became involved after the trucking company where Mike was a driver offered free delivery of wreaths from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery.

Intlekofer read about the program in a company newsletter.

“I just thought that was the greatest, so I started researching about Wreaths Across America,” Intlekofer recalls. “It was necessary to get approval from Mt Auburn cemetery Board of Trustees and complete paperwork to apply to be accepted into the program.”

Intlekofer said she had to do a lot of work and researching to bring Wreaths Across America to Mount Auburn.  

See more photos HERE.