SoKY’s Choice: “Wreaths Across America” offers a quiet way to say thank you
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) – On a cold Saturday morning, evergreen wreaths found their place among rows of headstones as volunteers gathered to honor veterans during a local Wreaths Across America ceremony.
Hosted by J.C. Kirby and Son Funeral Chapels along with Daughters of the American Revolution, the annual event brings community members together each December to remember those who served and sacrificed for their country.
The tradition of laying wreaths at veterans’ graves across the country began more than three decades ago in a quiet corner of Arlington National Cemetery. In 1992, Maine wreath maker Morrill Worcester donated 5,000 surplus wreaths to Arlington as a tribute to the fallen, a gesture that slowly grew into something much bigger. After a photo of the wreaths went viral in 2005, people from across the nation began asking how they could do the same in their own communities, and the idea took off.
To support that growing movement, Wreaths Across America was established as a nonprofit organization in 2007 with a clear mission: Remember the fallen; Honor those who serve; and Teach the next generation the value of freedom.
For Kevin Cox, a major in the Army Reserves, the ceremony is deeply meaningful.
“It just means a lot,” Cox said. “You have to come to the realization of what those who’ve gone before you have done, the magnitude of what they’ve given their lives for. It’s such an honor to be able to honor them in that way.”
Cox said the sacrifice of fallen service members is hard to fully understand.
“They’ve laid down their lives,” he said. “Some gave all.”
Senior Airman Chancellor Adwell said placing a wreath gave him time to reflect on the long line of service members who came before and will come after him.
“What went through my head while I was placing the wreath was thinking about all the members that came before me and are going to eventually come after me,” Adwell said. “Just thanking them for their service and their sacrifice for this country.”
For Kevin Kirby, owner, funeral director and embalmer at J.C. Kirby and Son, the event is both community-focused and personal.
“My dad was a veteran. My papa was a veteran,” Kirby said. “For them and all the other people that have served our country, it’s just an honor.”
Kirby said the ceremony continues to grow each year, drawing families and young volunteers.
Glenda Moss, regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution Samuel Davies Chapter, said the wreaths stand for more than memory.
“The wreaths mean that we’re honoring those that have served our country and allowed us to have the freedoms that we do,” Moss said. “The freedoms aren’t free.”
As taps played and wreaths were placed, the ceremony offered a simple but powerful reminder, that remembering service members does not have to be loud to be meaningful.
