Vice President of Wreaths for Veterans Mike Satterfield lays wreaths at veterans’ graves with Winnie Mosher.
On Saturday, December 13th, a large group of volunteers gathered with respectful hearts to place wreaths on the graves of all 163 veterans who have been laid to rest at the Legion Memorial Park Cemetery located on 801 South, Cooleemee, NC.
Honoring Generations of Service
Commander Seamon of Cooleemee – Mocksville VFW Post 1119 confirmed that there are 4 Civil War Veterans, also WWI, WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Desert Shield, Desert Storm and War on Terror veterans buried there. Tammy Williamson, Commander of the NC Veterans Council, was present, and it was her first time being involved.
How a Child’s Question Sparked a Movement
Vice President of Wreaths for Veterans Mike Satterfield explained that 8 years ago, he had an opportunity to lay a ceremonial wreath at the Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Salisbury Annex at the VA. After the ceremony, a little girl approached Satterfield and asked him why her grandfather didn’t get a wreath. They were about seven thousand wreaths short.
Luckily, he had two wreaths in his truck, and he gave the little girl one to put on her grandfather’s grave.
A Local Mission with Community Impact
After Satterfield told the story to Perry Kessler and Jody Pickett, they decided to create a new group called Wreaths for Veterans. This group does the exact same thing as Wreaths Across America, but on a local level. All the money they take in provides wreaths from farms they have partners with in the NC mountains. Fundraisers and any donations are accepted. Contact www.wreathsforveterans.org if interested.
