Volunteers from across the area spent much of their weekend traversing cemeteries so that veterans would not go unremembered this holiday season.

Warrenton native Andrea Romaker, a mother of two sons who both served in the military, was among those laying greenery on the graves as part of Wreaths Across America, a national initiative to remember and honor veterans.

Romaker is a member of Gateway Blue Star Moms, an organization based out of St. Charles that brings together mothers of servicemen and -women. The group turned its focus on Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Saturday, dispersing 10,000 wreaths on the graves.

“It’s so surreal, because those are our heroes, whether they ever saw battle or not,” said Romaker. “They stood up and took an oath, and I just think we should thank them any way we can.”

Meanwhile, Jen Smith and cadets from 12 to 18 years old representing the Civil Air Patrol adorned the Wright City Cemetery with 250 wreaths as one of their final stops on a cemetery tour on Saturday.

The group laid down nearly 650 wreaths throughout the course of the day, following a ceremony at Eternal Peace Cemetery in Wentzville in the morning. All of the other stops were in St. Charles County.

“It gives the cadets an opportunity to remember what the veterans have done,” said Smith. “It’s a very honorable ceremony for them to be a part of.”

Despite the efforts of these groups, many veterans’ graves are still going undecorated this holiday season. Romaker and her group were only able to cover less than 10 percent of the over 188,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks.

“In today’s society people are forgetting the true meaning of freedom and the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way,” said Romaker. “I really hope someday more young people become involved to keep this true patriotism alive.”

And while Smith and her group reached into Wright City, there are still many cemeteries in Warren County that did not receive wreaths. Among those is the Warrenton Cemetery, which traditionally has been included in Wreaths Across America through the efforts of the local American Legion Post.

However, Post 122 closed earlier this year, leaving many graves undecorated.

“It’s sad to me, because where my grandfather is buried, nobody covers that cemetery or even with them being thousands short at Jefferson Barracks,” said Smith. “We need to come together as a nation to honor our veterans.”