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DENTON – For his Eagle project, Billy Quick of Denton decided it was time to pay tribute to veterans lying at rest in Denton Cemetery.
With help from the community, Quick, partnered with the national Wreaths Across America organization to coordinate the first ceremony in Denton and place wreaths on the graves of 372 veterans.
The theme for this year’s National Wreaths Across America Day is “Live with purpose,” and that’s just what Quick did, fulfilling his Eagle project, as well as providing a way for the community to honor the memory of those who served in the armed forces, as well as honor Gold Star families.
Members of Scout Troop 165 in Denton formed a color guard and stood post as about 100 people from the local community and surrounding area gathered for the brisk and breezy noon ceremony at the south end of the cemetery, which dates to about 1882.
Quick said he has a “strong military connection” among his extended family and attending the Wreaths Across America event in Greensboro last year inspired him to “create something that could bring our community together, but also just give back to my community in a meaningful way. And this just seemed like a really great opportunity to do that.”
In 2007, the Worcester family of Harrington, Maine, along with veterans and other groups and individuals who had helped with their annual veterans wreath ceremony in Arlington, formed Wreaths Across America, a non-profit 501c (3) organization, to continue and expand this effort, and support other groups around the country who wanted to do the same. The yearlong mission of the organization is to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach the next generation the value of freedom.
In 2023, Wreaths Across America and its national network of volunteers placed over 3 million veterans’ wreaths at 4,225 participating locations in the United States and beyond. This feat was accomplished with help from over three million volunteers across the country, a third of whom were children.
In 2025, National Wreaths Across America Day will take place Dec. 13.
