The Yellowstone Regional Squadron of Civil Air Patrol will again participate in the Wreaths Across America program next month, placing wreaths on the graves of local veterans.

In 2020, Wreaths Across America honored nearly 1.8 million veterans at 2,557 locations across the country.

“We hope to make that number increase by receiving more sponsorships here in Park County where we currently sponsor graves at Crown Hill Cemetery in Powell and Riverside Cemetery in Cody,” said Lt. Col. BJ Carlson, the commander of the Yellowstone squadron.

Wreaths will be laid at Crown Hill Cemetery at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18 and at Riverside Cemetery at 10 a.m.

Donations of $15 are needed to sponsor a wreath, with donors able to pick a specific grave. To sponsor a wreath at Crown Hill, visit wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/157760 or visit wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/17661 for Riverside. The deadline to sign up is the end of November.

“We appreciate your assistance to honor the fallen,” Carlson said.

Anyone with questions or difficulty with the online form can email Carlson at capcommander@gmail.com for assistance.

Also next month, the local squadron will join other units of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) across the nation in observing the organization’s 80th anniversary.

“Due to current COVID restrictions, public events will be on hold until a later date,” said Carlson, but an open house will be scheduled once the restrictions are lifted.

Civil Air Patrol was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, by a group of aviation enthusiasts and private pilots who wanted to donate their time and aircraft to protect the nation’s coastlines during World War II and to perform other critical civil defense missions.

Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, operating a fleet of 560 single-engine Cessna aircraft and more than 2,100 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The organization performs search and rescue operations and was credited with saving 130 lives during the past fiscal year. CAP’s 56,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.

As a nonprofit organization, CAP boosts aerospace education with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education resources. Members also serve as mentors to more than 22,000 young people participating in CAP’s cadet programs.

The Yellowstone Squadron meets every Tuesday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Powell Armory, 1102 E. Seventh St. The squadron serves the Big Horn Basin area and anyone wishing to learn more about Civil Air Patrol and the cadet program is welcome to attend a meeting. Carlson suggests contacting her prior to a visit to confirm the date and time.

To learn more, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.