Participating in the annual Wreaths Across America program, on Saturday December 14th, 2024, volunteers and guests from the community gathered at Melissa Cemetery and St Paul Baptist Church Cemetery.  Melissa Rotarians worked behind the scenes to assist with identification and marking the graves, as well as laying of wreaths.  
 
 
This national program has been laying wreaths on military graves since 2008 to remember and honor those who have served the United States armed services. Andrew Lowery, who served 24 years in the Army Reserves, leads this ceremony honoring each branch of the United States military.
 
Melissa Cub Scout Pack 413 Arrow of Lights and Webelos Scouts posted the colors and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance, and MHS Senior Nathan Rose played TAPS. Then volunteers and guests placed wreaths on all flagged veteran graves throughout Melissa and St Paul Cemeteries. 
 
There are at least 107 known veteran grave markers at Melissa Cemetery and 11 known veteran graves in St Paul Cemetery. Buried within these cemeteries are veterans of the Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.
 
In preparation for laying the wreaths, members of Melissa Rotary Club joined Andrew Lowery, veteran and sponsor of Melissa Cemetery's Wreaths Across America event, to flag veteran graves for wreath placement at Melissa and St. Paul Baptist Church Cemeteries on Friday December 13, 2024.
With a little research, Rotarians were able to add several additional veterans to the list to be honored with wreaths. Rotarian, Lillie Miller, Melissa Historical Society, cross-referenced existing veteran lists from the Melissa Cemetery Veterans database and the "Service Men" Sections for Melissa and St. Paul Baptist Church Cemeteries in the Collin County Cemetery Inscriptions Book from 1975.  Note: St. Paul is listed as "North Melissa Cemetery" in the Inscriptions Book. 
 
Several additional veterans were also found while flagging graves on Friday and while placing wreaths on the day of the event.
 
For those veterans that do not have military headstones, it is important for family and friends to notify the cemetery association that their loved one was a veteran.