225 wreaths placed at Mount Albion for veterans

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – David Thom carries a wreath to be set at a grave for a veteran on Saturday during a Wreaths Across America ceremony. Mount Albion was included in Wreaths Across America for the first time.

Thom’s daughter, Jennifer Thom, coordinated the effort at Mount Albion. She is also the leader of Operation Honor, which purchased 100 of the wreaths. Other people purchased them for $17 each.

Wreaths has grown to 4,000 communities across the country, including in medina, Lyndonville and Holley.

In the photo with David Thom, he is carrying a wreath in honor of uniformed service members in U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps.

Other wreaths in the opening ceremony were set for the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, U.S. Space Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.

Many of the wreaths were set in the veterans’ section on the western side of the cemetery.

Richard Cox sets wreaths on veterans’ graves on a chilly Saturday. Cox also paid for 10 of the wreaths. He said he is a veteran and wanted to show appreciation for others who served in the military.

Jennifer Thom, leader of Operation Honor and coordinator of Wreaths Across America at Mount Albion, places a wreath at a veteran’s grave on Saturday. She urged the volunteers to say the veteran’s name when setting the wreath.

State Sen. Robert Ortt carries a wreath during the ceremony on Saturday. Ortt also was in Lyndonville earlier in the day for Wreaths Across America.

Mike Donahue is the bugler while Taps was played as part of the Honor Guard on Saturday during a ceremony for Wreaths Across America.

A wreath was also set at the Alms House Cemetery for Daniel Walterhouse, a Civil War veteran. Students in the Albion Middle School History Club placed that wreath at the cemetery on County House Road.