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Wreaths Across America Program Comes To Lexington
Area residents are invited to Evergreen Cemetery in Lexington this Saturday, Dec. 14, to participate in the laying of wreaths on the headstones of the 135 veterans buried there.
The event will take place at 1 p.m. and will include a brief ceremony before the wreath laying takes place.
The ceremony will feature an invocation by the Rev. William Kline and a 30-second moment of silence to remember the fallen, prisoners of war and those missing in action and honor those who have served and are serving.
Lexington Mayor Frank Friedman will share a few remarks and “Taps” will be played by Peter Del Vecchio.
All those present will be then be invited to participate in the wreath laying. Virginia Military Institute cadets will assist in the distribution of wreaths from boxes placed strategically around the cemetery.
The event has been organized by the new group Remembering Rockbridge Veterans, led by county residents Ron Perkins and Russ Elliott.
The headstones of veterans in the Evergreen Cemetery were identified earlier this year by Dennis Bussey, whose efforts also included cleaning the headstones of these veterans. In late October, 20 VMI cadets with the VMI Building Bridges Community Services Club conducted a reconnaissance of the entire cemetery to first locate, and then place an American flag at, each headstone or marker. These flags will facilitate the location of veteran headstones for those placing the wreaths.
“This event is made possible only through the sponsorship of wreaths by local organizations and individuals who have generously sponsored wreaths,” said Perkins. “We would like to thank CornerStone Bank, Historic Lexington Foundation, the Military Officers Association of America, VFW Post 1499, the Lexington Woman’s Club, and the many individuals who sponsored wreaths. Without their support this event would be impossible.”
Elliott added, “Due to the generous support of these Rockbridge County organizations and individual citizens, we have received enough support to repeat this event at the Evergreen Cemetery in 2025.”
“In addition, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to The News-Gazette for their extraordinary support in spreading the word about the value of remembering and honoring local veterans,” said Perkins. “The city of Lexington public works and police departments have also provided their enthusiastic support to make this event possible.”
The event is taking place in conjunction with the Wreaths Across America program, the national nonprofit whose yearlong mission is to remember the fallen, honor those who served, and teach children the value of freedom. This year’s theme, “Live with Purpose,” draws inspiration from the stories of Wreaths Across America volunteers whose impactful work in their communities is a beacon of inspiration for all, according to the nonprofit.
The Wreaths Across America program was begun in 1992 by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester with the placement of wreaths on the 400,000 graves in the Arlington National Cemetery. Since then, the program has expanded nationwide and in 2023 over 3,000,000 sponsored veteran’s wreaths were placed at 4,224 participating locations.
Perkins noted there are 10 bouquets that make up a veteran’s wreath, representing the 10 attributes or characteristics that WAA believes define our nation’s service members.
When placing wreaths at each headstone, volunteers are asked to read the veteran’s name aloud and take a moment to thank them for their service to our country. “It’s a small act that goes a long way toward keeping the memory of our veterans alive,” said Perkins.
“The purpose of the event is not to ‘decorate’ graves,” said Elliott. “We are present to remember not their deaths, but their lives. Each wreath is a gift of appreciation from a grateful American.”
