LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — Folk in Lynchburg will participate in a nation effort to honor every interred American veteran with a live balsam holiday wreath laying ceremony on Saturday. Volunteers will gather at both Lynchburg Cemetery and Highview Cemetery on December 13 at for National Wreaths Across America Day. All events that day kick off simultaneously at 11 a.m. Arlington time.

Local organizers lay wreaths using a very specific protocol. All wreaths get laid in the center of each grave, red ribbon at the top – a nod to the uniform rows of graves seen at Arlington.

If you have a veteran buried at Lynchburg or Highview cemeteries, you can make advanced reservation to lay the wreath at the grave of your loved ones by reaching out to Robyn LaCook via email at robyn_lacook@b-f.com. Others will be laid by dozens of local volunteers. In total, around 255 wreaths were placed to honor veterans last year.

Last year volunteers located several previously unidentified veteran graves by using a drone to GPS map the cemeteries.

Currently, 90 separate cemetery locations in Tennessee, including Lynchburg, will take part in this national event. Local sponsorship groups like the Jack Daniel’s Distillery Veteran Service Organizations, BRAVE, registered through the national program. Through the effort, local volunteer groups and individuals give back to their communities and help to share the year-round mission to remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach the next generation the value of freedom. In total, over two million volunteers gather at more than 4,600 cemeteries across the United States.

Morrill Worcester founded Wreaths Across America in 1992 thirty years after a memorable childhood experience at Arlington National Cemetery.

Since its founding in 2007, WAA has partnered with thousands of local nonprofits and civic groups to help living veterans and their families to raise awareness and wreath sponsorships nationwide. 

Wreaths Across America happens each year in Lynchburg on the second Saturday of December. If you would like to learn more about the program or donate, you can do so at this link. The Jack Daniel Distillery is the corporate sponsor of the local Wreaths Across America efforts. •