Army, Navy, Marines, and U.S. Coast Guard; regardless of military branch, the veterans buried at the Mount Auburn Cemetery were honored Saturday, as it became the sixth site in Iowa to participate in the Wreaths Across America program.
āI think itās unbelievable,ā said Russell Coots of Auburn. āFor just getting started in Arlington, the national cemetery, and to come down to Mount Auburn, itās great.ā
Coots and his family had several stops to make. They placed a wreath on the headstone of each relative, to remember what they sacrificed.
āWeāve got our father, which was World War II in the Army Air Corps, our uncle Lloyd Coots, which was in the Navy,ā Coots said. āWeāve got Grandpa Coots Smalley … which was World War I Army Ambulance Corps.ā
Coots was also here to honor his father-in-law Frank Wiest, and his brothers, all of whom went to war. His sister, Ruth Intlekofer, is responsible for bringing Wreaths Across America to her hometown.
āEvery wreath is handmade,ā Intlekofer told us. āAll work is donated in volunteer work. The trees are raised in the state of Maine. Thereās ten bouquets in each wreath, and each of those bouquets has a meaning to a soldier,ā she continued. āI was raised in a patriotic family, and growing up as kids, my brothers and I, it was expected that we went to the Memorial Day parade.ā
But itās the times between Memorial Day and Veterans Day when Coots said itās nice to have a reminder of our freedoms, and who fought for them.
āTheyāre all in the celebrations of other things and they forget the veterans who saved our lives,ā Coots explained. āThank them all the time. Anytime you see them, say hello.ā
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