This Saturday morning, the burial sites of more than thirteen hundred veterans of military service from Emanuel County will be honored. In a 10 a.m. ceremony at the Swainsboro City Cemetery, members of the “Veterans at the Library” volunteer service group will place live Christmas wreaths at the final resting site of men and women who have tendered military service to this country during this century and the three centuries prior. In addition to the Swainsboro City Cemetery, other sites in different cemeteries in Swainsboro and throughout Emanuel County will also have wreaths placed on graves by V.A.L. members and volunteers. The wreaths will arrive by mid-week and be distributed to those who have chosen to personally place wreaths themselves. These people will be notified as to where and when they may pick their wreath up. The” Veterans at the Library” group will place the remainder of wreaths Saturday morning using information previously supplied by families, friends, and other members of the community who desired to pay tribute to the service of these Emanuel County patriots. In a statement to the Forest Blade, John Tapley, chairman of the project, thanked the Franklin Memorial Library and the public for their help, “This has been a big job. We started out with a small group that snowballed into nearly 50 veterans. Without the Library personnel and help from others, I don’t know if we could have succeeded, but here we are, and on Saturday, it will be a beautiful site to look across these places of honor and see that these veterans have not been forgotten.” The public is encouraged to attend the 10 a.m. ceremony, and all volunteers who can assist in the moving and placement of wreaths are appreciated and welcome.
