Wreaths Across America is a holiday tribute to those who served
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
Volunteers fan out across the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies Saturday to place wreaths on stones during Wreaths Across America.
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
Wreaths Across America opened in December 2019 with a solemn ceremony at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
Wreaths were quickly placed on stones at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies during Wreaths Across America.
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
Boxes of wreaths ready to go at the start of Wreaths Across America at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township.
CECIL–As they have in years past, traffic started pouring into the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies early Saturday morning.
A little less than two hours before the annual noontime ceremony where hundreds of wreaths are laid at the graves of veterans, cars and buses were parked on the roads that snake through the Cecil Township resting ground, and were starting to spill onto nearby roads. The hundreds of people who braved a bitter wind and relentless rain were there for Wreaths Across America, what has now become a nationwide holiday tradition.
Standing under an umbrella, Carolyn Gesselberty of Hendersonville noted that her father and uncle are buried at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies and it was important for her to honor them and other veterans.
“It brings back to me the importance of those who served and protected our assets,” she said.
Ron Gault of Whitehall said “duty, honor and respect” brought him to the service, and that he had recently lost a relative who served in World War II.
After noon and a solemn ceremony, volunteers like Gesselberty and Gault quickly fanned out across the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies and laid wreaths on the white stones. They will remain there through the end of January. Beforehand, Edward Hadjuk, the acting director at the cemetery, explained that “wreaths represent our united commitment to serve the fallen.”
Entrance to the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies was made a little easier this year as a result of the recent reopening of the access road to the cemetery. It had been closed due to continuing work on the Southern Beltway project.
Wreaths Across America dates back to 1992, when the owner of a wreath company in Maine had a surplus of holiday wreaths and decided to leave them on the stones of veterans at Arlington National Cemetery. It attracted attention on the internet, and Congress gave its approval to the effort in 2008. In 2018, nearly 1.8 million wreaths were placed at 1,640 different locations.