‘They’re never forgotten’: Wreaths Across America Day in Florence honors fallen service members
FLORENCE, SC (WMBF) - Thousands of wreaths were placed on the graves of fallen service members on Saturday.
For Wreaths Across America Day, hundreds of people gathered at the Florence National Cemetery to place wreaths to honor and remember those who served in the military.
“It was an honor to lay a wreath at his grave for what he’s done for his country,” said veteran Ronnie Kennedy, who put a wreath for his brother.
As people placed the wreaths, they read the name on the headstone aloud.
“For you to go over there or anywhere here and place a wreath and say their name, they’re never forgotten,” said Carol Dion, president of Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina.
Wreaths placed on the graves were covered by donations, with people able to purchase them for $17 each.
The organization Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina set a goal of collecting enough wreaths so every person buried at the cemetery would have a wreath, which is more than 15,000.
However, they only received 11,000 wreaths, falling short of their goal — something that has happened in the past and they do not want to repeat.
“It’s very disappointing, I have pictures from years ago where it’d be one wreath and two empties and one wreath and two empties,” Dion said. “Those were really hard times to go out here and decide who got one and who didn’t.”
Though they did not meet their goal, all fallen service members were still honored.
A ceremony was held before the wreath placements, with veterans groups and community members in attendance to show their support.
Wreaths for next year are currently available for purchase, and the Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina hopes to see more wreaths purchased, as the number of those buried increases each year.
Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WMBF. For more free content like this, download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.
Copyright 2025 WMBF. All rights reserved.
