Wreaths Across America Honors Those Who Served

 By R,J. Cohn

Despite a drop in donations that support annual Wreaths of America, the Sierra Vista military community was not going to let anything stand in the way of honoring more than 4,000 servicemen and women buried in the 145,000-acre Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery (SAVMC) at the foot of the Huachuca Mountains.

They turned out en masse on Dec. 13 to honor their fathers and brothers, mothers, sisters, cousins and soldiers they never knew in a solemn ceremony, placing 1,112 balsam remembrance wreaths with red velveteen ribbons at the gravesites of thousands of deceased veterans of every denomination.

The turnout that drew nearly 500 visitors from as far away as Oregon was especially moving, as hundreds of participants placed wreaths on tombstones while saying their names out loud. Some stood in reverence and saluted.

“When Wreaths of America first started here in 2006, we only had sponsored 45 wreaths,” said SAVMC administrator Joel Larson. “It has grown tremendously over the years, and the participation from the community to soldiers at Fort Huachuca has been overwhelming. We have 450 interments a year, so this ceremony is only going to increase. Last year we had close to 2,000 wreaths and the year before 1,400. Our goal this year was 5,000 sponsored wreaths, but the SAVMC foundation didn’t get the donations it expected, partly because of the economic climate.”

   At $17 per wreath, private donations and those from organizations totaled $18,904 to purchase the remembrance wreaths shipped from Maine. 

Wreaths of America volunteer and combat-disabled veteran Javon Watson who helped organize SAVMC volunteers felt the government shutdown in November contributed to the smaller number of wreaths that were shipped to Sierra Vista.

“The Arizona Military Cemetery in Marana was also shorted remembrance wreaths this year,” she said. “We’re all feeling the effects of the shutdown.”

In the past 15 years, Wreaths Across America has grown by leaps and bounds, with nearly 5,000 participating cemeteries, including 6,000 sponsorship groups. Last year, close to 4 million wreaths were placed on veterans’ gravesites across the nation, including cemeteries in Normandy honoring soldiers who died during World War II’s D-Day invasion.

Since its inception, Wreaths Across America has given back more than $20 million to other organizations to support their local efforts. Roughly two million volunteers nationwide — including veterans and Gold Star families — prepare and ship the wreaths across the country.

Following a ceremony by the Cochise Composite 107th Squadron Civil Air Patrol where cadets placed remembrance wreaths on stands honoring all branches of the military, hundreds of community members walked to gravesites where they paid their respects by laying wreaths by veterans’ tombstones.

“So many people come to this year after year to pay their respects,” said Larson. “In a small, military community like this, these are their brothers and sisters, and this community will never forget the service they’ve given to their country.”