I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank Rep. Pat Ingraham for her “Keeping in Touch” piece of December 8, 2010, “Honoring Veterans”.  As the Commander of Thunderbird Mountain Composite Squadron here in Sanders County and the Montana Wing Legislative Liaison Officer for the Civil Air Patrol, one of my responsibilities is to get the word out about Wreaths Across America and the contribution that program makes toward recognizing the ultimate sacrifice that our fallen heroes and their families make to the freedoms we so often take for granted.

In addition to her “Honoring Veterans” piece, Rep. Ingraham was the only legislative member attendee at the Capitol Rotunda WAA Ceremony on December 6, 2010 in Helena.  Prior to the ceremony, I had the opportunity to visit with Rep. Ingraham at the Holiday Tree Lighting celebration at the Sanders County Fairgrounds and invited her attendance at the ceremony.  She asked for additional information on WAA which was provided, resulting in the “Honoring Veterans” in her “Keeping in Touch” column.  Her words not only expressed our country’s appreciation for the selfless contribution of Morrill Worcester and his Worcester Wreath Company, but also highlighted the contribution of the Civil Air Patrol, its members, both Senior and Cadet who give countless hours to this fine program that continues year upon year to celebrate and remember the ultimate sacrifice made by our veterans who lie beneath the thousands upon thousands of headstones around the globe.

To that end, it is not too early to begin thinking about how our community can take part in the Remembrance of 2011.  If you have a loved one or a friend who has, in the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln, given the “last full measure of devotion” for our freedoms, and lies in a cemetery here in Sanders County, please contact me to get involved so that we can insure that in their remembrance “they shall not have died in vain”. 

As a community I would like to invite you to assist in creating a list of grave locations here in Sanders County so as a community we can come together and honor our fallen heroes on December 10, 2011.  For more information, to volunteer or to contribute you can drop me a line to TMCS, P. O. Box 70, Plains, MT 59859 or you can contact me directly by phone at 406-396-7856.  This important celebration is dedicated to the lives of our men and women who served their country so valiantly to insure that our freedoms never die. “We Will Never Forget”.