Local veteran invited to national wreath event

Troy Wilkins joined a team of 23,000 volunteers to help place 245,000 wreaths in front of graves at Arlington National Cemetery as part of this year's Wreaths Across America observance on Dec. 17.

While the Mountain Home community joined others across the United States to honor the men and women of the U.S. armed forces earlier this month, a local veteran earned an invitation to participate in a national observance in the nation's capitol.

Troy Wilkins, along with his wife, Vanessa, and other family members were among the thousands of veterans that gathered at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia participating in the Wreaths Across America observance.

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While in Washington, D.C., Troy Wilkins had the opportunity to view the Christmas tree on the U.S. Capitol's lawn. The 80-foot tree came from the Payette National Forest in Idaho.