SCRANTON, Pa. — On National Wreaths Across America Day, more than two million wreaths will be placed at veterans' graves nationwide.
15,000 of those veterans were laid to rest right here, at Cathedral Cemetery in Scranton. The ceremony at Cathedral Cemetery began with multiple speakers.
Organizers say the wreaths symbolize the circle of life. These veterans are remembered, honored, and live on well after their deaths, with the country they left behind as proof.
"A person dies twice, once when they take their last breath and then once again when there's no one left to say their name or tell their story," one of the speakers said.
Molly Fenwick, a Girl Scout Juliette, was the MC of the ceremony. "You know, sadly, a lot of the time, I feel as though they get forgotten as generations are growing, and that's why Wreaths Across America is very important to do every year," Fenwick says.
The wreaths not only celebrate the lives of those who have fallen but those who continue to serve as well as those who have no resting place and will be missing from the dinner table on Christmas Day.
"SSG Christopher Sluttmen, United States Marine Corp., Killed in action. April 8, 2019. While proudly serving his country in Afghanistan," Fenwick announced as they honored those with no gravesites.
Across the country and right here at Cathedral Cemetery, volunteers take the time to ensure every veteran's gravestone has a wreath. Michele Dembasky, a volunteer, is a member of Daughters of the American Revolution Scranton Chapter. "My father, my father-in-law, my brother-in-law, my uncles, everybody has served in the service, and this is a special way to honor them," Dembasky says.
For many here today, like Mark Edwards, it's important to honor every veteran as they would their own. "Well, someone has to remember them, and that's very important in my mind," Edwards says.
For Michelle Kemler's daughter, that is just as important. This day falls on her birthday, and she takes the time every year to lay a wreath on a veteran's grave. "She understands the importance of those who have served our country and why we have the freedom that we have and the things that we have," Kemler says.
Before people can begin placing wreaths on graves, Fenwick ends the ceremony with one last remark.
"Our nation stands as a shining beacon of liberty and freedom to the world. We thank those who gave their lives to keep us free, and we will never forget you."