Veterans
GalleryAmericans pay tribute to fallen with Wreaths Across America
Stars and Stripes
December 17, 2023
Soldiers assigned to 832nd Ordinance Battalion attend the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. The soldiers came to ANC to remember U.S. Army Sgt. James Slape from 832nd Ordinance Battalion and others interred in Section 60. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
On Saturday, millions of Americans remembered the nation’s fallen, honoring the men and women who have served by placing fresh greens on millions of graves as part of National Wreaths Across America Day 2023.
Volunteers laid wreaths on gravesites at 4,225 participating locations across the country, saying the names of the service members aloud. At Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., more than 30,000 volunteers placed approximately 260,000 wreaths at every gravesite and niche column.
“What I love most about this day, and this mission, is that it is so much more than just the placement of a wreath,” Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America, said in a statement. “The wreath is the catalyst, it brings together communities — families and strangers — to learn about those who have served and sacrificed. This mission and the events happening (Saturday) provide the opportunity to teach kids about what freedom is.”
Volunteers participate in the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Volunteers participate in the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day in Section 59 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Volunteers participate in the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Volunteers participate in the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day in Section 59 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Volunteers participate in the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day In Section 64 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Volunteers participate in the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day In Section 64 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Volunteers participate in the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Volunteers participate in the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Soldiers assigned to 832nd Ordinance Battalion attend the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. The soldiers came to ANC to remember U.S. Army Sgt. James Slape from 832nd Ordinance Battalion and others interred in Section 60. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Soldiers assigned to 832nd Ordinance Battalion attend the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. The soldiers came to ANC to remember U.S. Army Sgt. James Slape from 832nd Ordinance Battalion and others interred in Section 60. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Volunteers participate in the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day in Columbarium Court 5 at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Tomb guards from the 3d Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) place wreaths at the gravesites of the Unknown Soldiers at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Tomb guards from the 3d Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) place wreaths at the gravesites of the Unknown Soldiers at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Tomb guards from the 3d Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) place wreaths at the gravesites of the Unknown Soldiers at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
Volunteers participate in the 32nd Wreaths Across America Day at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
The 32nd Wreaths Across America Day in Section 33 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Dec. 16, 2023. More than 30,000 volunteers placed approximately 260,000 wreaths at every gravesite and niche column at Arlington National Cemetery. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)