SUFFOLK, Va. — Since 2008, the nonprofit Horton Wreath Society and generous donors have supplied live balsam wreaths every holiday season for every grave site at the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk.
Saturday, Dec. 16 was the big day this year, starting at 9:30 a.m. It's a tradition with the goal of making sure no veteran is forgotten during the holiday season.
At Horton, the organization said it would lay an estimated 12,700 wreaths.
"Their sacrifice that they made for us, anybody who does a day, week, month, year, years or retirees, they're veterans. They served our country. And that's what it means: God and country," said Mike Yarbrough, president of the Horton Wreath Society.
The cemetery's superintendent, Angela Bufano, said seeing the wreaths adorning the headstones of heroes is an incredible sight to behold.
"The wreaths signify the reverence of our fallen veterans," she said. "All of the branches, including the National Guard and reservists, so, yeah, it's just a pleasure to see, to witness it, after all the wreaths have been laid."
This year's ceremonies at Horton are being conducted separately from the national Wreaths Across America organization.
The Horton ceremony's keynote speakers were Virginia Lt. Gov. (and former marine) Winsome Earle-Sears, and retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant and motivational speaker/author Jason Redman.
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services and community partners also held wreath-laying ceremonies Saturday at the state cemeteries in Dublin and Amelia. Wreaths were also laid at the Hampton and Yorktown National Cemeteries and at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin delivered remarks and participated in the Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Richmond National Cemetery.