The dedication of veterans and their service to our country is remembered each holiday season through the national Wreaths Across America program, which will be marked Saturday at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
As participants lay a wreath on the grave of a veteran buried at the cemetery, that person is remembered and honored by speaking the person’s name and thanking him or her for their service. This year’s theme is “I am an American. Yes, I am.”
“We are not here to ‘decorate graves,’” said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America. “We’re here to remember … their lives.”
The program begins at 9 a.m. in the chapel at the cemetery, 1900 Veterans Memorial Drive.
“It’s a small act designed to keep the memory of our veterans alive,” said Terri Hendry, communications director for the Nevada Department of Veterans Services.
According to Hendry, Wreaths Across America honors all branches of the military and those designated as prisoners of war or missing in action. The local event is held in coordination with more than 750 veterans cemeteries across the country.
Wreaths Across America is free and open to the public.
In addition to the program in Boulder City, there is one at 9 a.m. in Fernley at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.