Today is a day we honor the service and courage of our surviving veterans and we also choose to honor their service by taking time out to recognize the service and loss of their deceased comrades.

As the holiday season approaches the membership of the Worcester County Veterans Memorial Foundation are making a larger push than ever to try to incorporate even more of the community into the Wreaths Across America program. It’s a noble notion deserving of an extra mention and a particular call for support.

The national program funds the purchase of wreaths for as many veteran headstones as it can, and as such much of that attention and funding goes to Arlington National Cemetery, making the local group’s efforts that much more critical to honoring our local veterans.

The Worcester County foundation keeps their donations here on the Eastern Shore, choosing to provide wreaths on as many of the more than 5,000 graves in the Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery as possible. Last year the volunteers were able to raise enough to purchase almost 300 wreaths but since they are the primary donor for the cemetery, they feel the responsibility to try and cover even more.

Keeping the fallen well remembered is something that is relatively easy to do. So consider making a $15 donation for one wreath to the Worcester County Veterans Memorial Foundation as a token of respect and honor for those we cannot thank personally today.