Today, their remains are entombed in the cold ground.
But once upon a time, their courage, willingness to sacrifice and commitment to duty kept this nation free and secure.
In an effort to honor deceased local veterans and pay respects to their families, Ridgelawn Memorial Cemetery (99 W. Burdick St.) in Oxford Village is inviting the public to take part in the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 12.
‘We have families that are still suffering from the loss of their loved ones,? said Chris Acheson, who manages the private cemetery that’s been owned and operated by his family since 1927.
Evergreen wreaths will be laid on veterans? graves beginning at 11 a.m. This will be followed by a ceremony at 11:45 a.m.
Pastor Dave Gerber, of Oxford, will lead the attendees in prayer, then members of Oxford American Legion Post 108 will place wreaths upon white crosses representing all branches of the U.S. military as well as the more than 90,000 servicemen and women whose last known status was either prisoner of war or missing in action.
Coffee, hot chocolate and snacks will be served following the ceremony.
Ridgelawn has been participating in Wreaths Across America, a nationwide event, since 2009.
‘I just feel it’s something that’s needed,? said Acheson, whose brother, Keith, fought in Vietnam and nephew, Chad, served in the U.S. Army. ‘Veterans are not recognized enough.?
Acheson has more than 75 wreaths coming for this year’s event. Many will be placed at veterans? graves inside Ridgelawn, but Acheson noted some wreaths could end up in the public cemeteries owned and operated by Oxford Township.
‘It doesn’t just have to be for ours,? he said. ‘It’s for all of Oxford. They’re for all the veterans.?
Acheson noted 200 veterans are buried at Ridgelawn.
Wreaths Across America was started in 1992 by Morrill Worcester, owner of the Worcester Wreath Company based in Harrington, Maine. Nearing the end of the Christmas season, his company had a surplus of wreaths, so he decided to place them on graves in an older, somewhat-forgotten section of Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
It turned into an annual tribute that largely went unnoticed until 2005 when a photo of the Arlington headstones, ‘adorned with wreaths and covered in snow,? went viral on the internet, according to the official Wreaths Across America website www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
The idea took on a life of its own and soon wreaths were being laid on veterans? graves in national, state and local cemeteries all over the country. Wreaths Across America became a nonprofit organization in 2007.
Even the U.S. Congress got into the act by voting unanimously to make Dec. 13, 2008 ‘Wreaths Across America Day.?
In 2014, Wreaths Across America and its national network of volunteers laid more than 700,000 wreaths at 1,000 locations in the U.S. and beyond, according to the website.
The goal of completely covering all of Arlington National Cemetery was accomplished last year with the placement of 226,525 wreaths.
Wreath-laying ceremonies are typically held on the second or third Saturday of December.