ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA (WKZO-AM) – Over the weekend, 50 volunteers originally from Michigan appeared at Arlington National Cemetery, joining thousands of others for the 25th-annual Wreaths Across America Day on Saturday.
Similar events were held at National Cemeteries all across the U.S. on Saturday, including Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta.
Battling icy weather, the Michigan group distributed 4,800 wreaths, placing them at the graves of veterans buried near the nation’s capitol.
The volunteers are members of the State Society of Michigan, which has brought together hundreds of Michiganders who now live in the D.C. region.
It was the second year for the participation by Michigan volunteers.
The event began in 1992 when a wreath maker from Maine had 5-thousand extra wreaths and decided to head to Arlington to place them at graves.
It has grown each year from that event in what is now known as the “Wreaths Across America” campaign.
A total of 44,000 volunteers turned out Saturday to place wreaths at 245,000 graves.
They were encouraged to take time to read the headstone and honor the fallen hero by saying the veteran’s name out loud.
