Volunteers across the country honored veterans by placing holiday wreaths on their gravesites during National Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 13.
In 2024, an estimated 3 million wreaths were placed at more than 4,900 cemeteries throughout the U.S.
In New York, a whopping 7,500 wreaths with bright red bows were put on graves at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale. Civil Air Patrol members, along with military families and groups of volunteers, braved Saturday’s chilly weather to honor fallen veterans.
Michael Gieraltowski, from the Civil Air Patrol, said the annual wreath-laying event is important to remember each veteran’s sacrifice.
“It helps people remember and honor the sacrifice of the people who are laid to rest here,” Gieraltowski told News 12 Long Island. “That they gave to defend our country.”
Volunteers Working Together
On Saturday, volunteers placed wreaths they purchased or helped place them, working together to ensure no gravesite with a military marker was forgotten.
“There’s only a small percentage of people that serve in the military that defend our country,” Gieraltowski said. “This is an opportunity for the larger public to remember and show their support for those who serve.”
Robert Gaba, an Army veteran, hasn’t missed a wreath-laying event in Long Island for 14 years. Gaba said he feels a deep connection to deceased veterans.
“It’s an honor to go to each one of the graves,” Gaba said. “The reason we come is obviously to honor all those people.”
For Gaba, honoring veterans is a calling he feels throughout the year, not just on certain days like Veterans Day or Wreaths Across America Day.
“There are thousands of people here, and that’s great,” he said. “But since we are associated with the military, this is something we should do. It’s not only an honor to do, but also a responsibility we feel.”
Ceremony Brings Personal Connections
In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Andrew Thompson, a Navy veteran, shares Gaba’s sentiment. When Thompson places a wreath on a gravestone, he doesn’t just see a name and a marker. He sees a fallen brother in arms.
“I think anybody who is a veteran is a comrade of mine,” Thompson told CBS 5 News in Fayetteville.
For some wreath layers, like Jannie Lanyne, the event is deeply personal.
“My son is buried right over there,” Lanyne said, pointing to a grave at the Fayetteville National Cemetery.
Lanyne has participated in the annual tradition for 15 years. She founded Bo’s Blessings, an organization in Northwest Arkansas that supports veterans and their families. In October, Bo’s Blessings was selected as a Blue Star Families Outpost to assist families with current military members serving overseas, the first organization of its kind in Arkansas.
“Now we get to work with the active-duty reservists, veterans, military, anybody who’s currently serving. We can be a support system for them in our 3rd Congressional District,” Lanyne told Fox 24 News in October.
Steve Long looks forward to National Wreaths Across America Day as a way to honor his father, a deceased veteran. Long serves as secretary of the Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corporation.
“It’s very important to honor the veterans and to keep the space for them,” Long said. “And many families in the area wish to be laid to rest near their loved ones.”
As millions of wreaths were placed across the country, the ceremony served as a time to pause and reflect on those who served in the middle of a hectic holiday season.
“It’s not just the names that are on the stones; it’s the ones that didn’t make it this far,” Thompson said.
Wreaths were also placed at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Organizers have designated Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, as a day to remove wreaths from the cemetery.
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