Over two million volunteers nationwide stepped out to place wreaths on the graves of veterans for Wreaths Across America Day, honoring the past and educating the future on the sacrifices made by service members. This year's event saw participation at over 4,600 locations, including Seattle's Lakeview Cemetery, where 550 veterans' graves were adorned with wreaths, and the City View Cemetery in Pasco, which also joined in the remembrance activities.
"Today is all about recognizing and honoring veterans across the United States," said Tim Zenk, the Chair of Wreaths Across America for Lakeview Cemetery and President of the Sons of the American Revolution of Seattle, according to a FOX 13 report. In Pasco, the local community ensured each veteran's grave at City View was graced with a wreath, and a penny was received as a token of remembrance. NBC Right Now noted. Dan Dotta, the City of Pasco facilities manager, highlighted this gesture as a symbol of community recognition for veterans who are not forgotten.
Across the nation, other communities echoed similar sentiments. At Colorado's Pikes Peak National Cemetery, hundreds of volunteers, including families of the veterans, paid their respects. "I think that it is very meaningful to not only the veterans but their family. Freedom is not free, and we are thankful for the brave people that have sacrificed so much for us to be able to have our freedoms," Renee Shannon, the daughter of Army veteran David Rowe, who is laid to rest at the cemetery, told KOAA.
Commander Alyson Teeter of Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063 shared her appreciation for the day's intergenerational aspect, "We have Sea Cadets here, we have Scouts here and so the older and younger generations come together to honor the veterans who are no longer with us," she told FOX 13.
