Thousands of families, friends and strangers placed wreaths on the graves of veterans and fallen soldiers on Saturday.
A crowd of volunteers gathers around a truck to get wreaths to place at graves as part of Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 in Arlington, Va. Organizers estimated that volunteers placed 240,815 wreaths at Arlington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Randy Schultz, from Union Bridge, Md., places a wreath at a grave as part of Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 in Arlington, Va. Organizers estimated that volunteers placed 240,815 wreaths at Arlington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Lane Austin, 6, of Virginia Beach, Va., carries a wreath to grave during Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 in Arlington, Va. Organizers estimated that volunteers placed 240,815 wreaths at Arlington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Wreaths are unboxed as volunteers come to get them to place them at graves during Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 in Arlington, Va. Organizers estimated that volunteers placed 240,815 wreaths at Arlington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
The grave of Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy is adorned with a wreath as part of Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 in Arlington, Va. By the end of WWII, Murphy had become one of the nation’s most-decorated soldier, earning an unparalleled 28 medals. Organizers estimated that volunteers placed 240,815 wreaths at Arlington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
The Washington Monument is seen behind the graves after wreaths were placed in front of them as part of Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 in Arlington, Va. Organizers estimated that volunteers placed 240,815 wreaths at Arlington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
A volunteer carries wreaths to placed at graves during Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 in Arlington, Va. Organizers estimated that volunteers placed 240,815 wreaths at Arlington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Thousands of families, friends and strangers placed wreaths on the graves of veterans and fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2105.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WASHINGTON – Thousands of families, friends and strangers placed wreaths on the graves of veterans and fallen soldiers on Saturday. Wreaths Across America (WAA), a veterans organization that coordinates the nationwide day of remembrance, organized the a large-scale ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
The annual wreath-laying ceremony began in 1992. Last year’s ceremony marked the 150th anniversary of Arlington National Cemetery. Wreaths Across America volunteers covered every grave marker in the cemetery, more than 227,000, both last year and this year. As many as 40 trucks driven by volunteer truck drivers journeyed from the Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine.
At 11 a.m., there was a wreath laying ceremony at President John F. Kennedy’s grave. At noon, there was a final ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
