MILITARY HONORS — Julie Harris presents a memorial wreath in recognition of all members of the U.S. Marine Corps during a Wreaths Across America Ceremony at the Warrenton City Cemetery on Dec. 17. Each branch of the military, as well as servicemembers recorded as prisoners of war or missing in action, are memorialized at events throughout the nation each year.

Submitted photo

Volunteers at two Warrenton cemeteries carried out a somber, but meaningful tradition this weekend with the laying of holiday wreaths at the graves of every military veteran in the city.

The volunteers visited around 550 graves at the Warrenton City Cemetery and Holy Rosary Cemetery on Dec. 17, delivering wreaths as a memorial to military service and saying out loud the names of each veteran who served a thankful nation. The effort was part of the national Wreaths Across America program, which annually provides millions of memorial wreaths to local chapters across the country.

“Today we celebrate the mission to remember the fallen, honor those that served and their families, and teach the next generation the value of freedom,” Air Force veteran and featured speaker Mike Moore told the volunteers gathered at the Holy Rosary Cemetery. “Lying here before us, and in cemeteries throughout the nation, are men and women who gave their lives so we could live in freedom, and without fear.”

“Many of you today here have answered that call and served your country. For this we say ‘thank you,’ and we are honored to know you,” Moore continued. “There are many men and women serving in all branches of our military, here at home and at places around the world, places most of us have never heard of. ... We honor them and their families for the sacrifices they make each day.”

A broad estimate put the total number of volunteers at the two cemeteries at 120-140 people. After a memorial ceremony designating one wreath to each branch of the military and one to military members who are prisoners of war or missing in action, the volunteers took wreaths in their arms and spread out across the cemeteries to find veterans’ graves that had been carefully identified and marked for the memorial.

Among the marked graves were flags specifically signaling that the buried veteran has living family members who came to lay a wreath at their grave that day.

One such family was that of Stacy Schroer, who came with her children and extended family to lay wreaths at two graves in the Holy Cemetery. They started making the wreath laying an annual tradition when her grandfather, Frank Ebbesmeyer, passed away in 2020.

“It’s important to honor them, (and) to teach my kids about what each veteran did and why we honor them,”  Schroer explained. She added that both she and her husband have family members who served in the military.

Andrea Romaker, one of the chief organizers for the Warrenton wreath laying, said she is grateful to all the support from local volunteers, as well as the businesses, organizations and individual donors who make the wreath laying possible. Each wreath costs $15, meaning volunteers have to raise thousands of dollars every year for the program.

Romaker said several area groups have made volunteering for Wreaths Across America into an annual habit. Certain people donate every year, local Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops provide warm drinks and volunteer on the day of the event, and Warrenton-area firefighters and medics help mark veteran gravesites ahead of the event.

Romaker also remarked that the ceremony at Warrenton City Cemetery was joined this year by musicians from Warrenton High School who came to play Taps.

“Just a huge thank you to all the businesses, and organizations,” Romaker commented. “I think it went really well this year. I was actually surprised with the amount of people who came out with such cold temperatures.”

Nationwide, Romaker said Wreaths Across America volunteers had laid 2.7 million wreaths.

Those who would like more information about the nationwide program can go online to WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.