VAN METER, Iowa — Marilyn Schwab’s Christmas wish isn’t material. The ultimate gift would be one more day with her husband.
“Joe was a barber. He loved his United States Marines. He never had a hair out of place,” said Schwab.
Her husband, Joe, served in Vietnam and was a proud veteran until the day he lost his life to cancer.
“He’d be out here. He’d be crying and greeting everybody because he loved people,” Schwab told Channel 13 News.
To honor him, Marilyn laid a Christmas wreath at the very site Joe rests. She wasn’t alone.
“It’s a real appreciation and reminder of how much freedom really means,” said John Myers, a volunteer.
Myers laid wreaths on more than a dozen grave sites in honor of his son and grandson. One is a retired Army solider. The other is an active member of the U.S. Air Force.
“It brings home what it means to be American and live in this great country,” said Myers.
In total, nearly 1,800 wreaths were laid as a part of a national event taking place at over 1,100 cemeteries across the country.
Patrick Palmershien, an organizer, says in the 7 years this Wreaths Across America event has been in Van Meter, it has grown each time.
“In 2008 it was seven wreaths. This year it was 1,800. It’s really grown out,” said Palmershien.
Every person who laid a wreath has a different story, but in a gathering like this, the message is the same.
“You want to know why I do what I do? It’s because I love you,” said a speaker.
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