On Saturday, December 13, 2025, communities across the Peach State gathered for Wreaths Across America Day, an annual tradition centered on three simple words: Remember. Honor. Teach. From national and state veterans cemeteries to hometown burial grounds where generations of Georgians are laid to rest, volunteers turned out in force to place fresh evergreen wreaths and speak a veteran’s name aloud, ensuring every hero who wore our nation’s uniform is remembered not as a number but as a person with a story.
Across Georgia, VFW Posts and Districts in the Department of Georgia answered that call in the way VFW members always do – by showing up, pitching in, and making sure our nation’s veterans are never forgotten.
Wreaths Across America – A Statewide Effort
One of the most visible gatherings took place at Georgia National Cemetery, where Wreaths Across America volunteers assembled for the ceremony and wreath placement. Alongside families, youth groups, and community partners, VFW members helped place remembrance wreaths in a powerful visual reminder that service and sacrifice live on in the hearts of grateful citizens.
But the efforts and mission didn’t stop there; this year’s effort reached far beyond our nation’s fourth largest veterans cemetery.
At Georgia’s Veterans Memorial Cemeteries in Glennville and Milledgeville, the Georgia Department of Veterans Service hosted ceremonies that brought together veterans, families, and supporters in remembrance of those who served. These sites, maintained as places of honor, became focal points for community reflection as wreaths were laid to recognize the lives and legacies of Georgia’s departed heroes.
In towns across the state, local cemeteries and memorial parks saw that same spirit repeated: volunteers arriving early, organizing wreath lines, assisting families, guiding youth participants, and pausing, again and again, to say a veteran’s name. Across the State of Georgia, Wreaths Across America was a great success – Remember. Honor. Teach.
VFW Districts and Posts Lead By Example
Throughout Georgia, VFW Districts and Posts served as organizers, sponsors, and volunteers, supporting cemetery partners, coordinating participation, and helping drive awareness and sponsorships so that more graves could be honored.
Led by State Sr Vice Commander Arnold Gonzales, Georgia VFW’s 4th District supported wreath placement efforts at Harlem Cemetery in Columbia County, continuing the mission to remember and honor veterans at the local level. In North Georgia, VFW Post 5408 and VFW Post 5262 participated at Georgia National Cemetery, helping ensure the day’s meaning was felt far beyond a single ceremony.
Meanwhile, in Putnam County, VFW Post 6686 supported wreath-laying at Eatonton Memorial Park, demonstrating how Posts across Georgia bring this mission home into the communities where VFW members live, work, and serve every day.
In Habersham County, community observances included wreath ceremonies at Demorest City Cemetery, with another scheduled at the Grant-Smith-Reeves VFW Cemetery, a clear reminder that VFW’s presence is woven into Georgia’s local history and ongoing remembrance.
Teaching the Next Generation
This annual event isn’t just a magnificent series of ceremonies. Wreaths Across America Day carries deep meaning for Gold Star families and for veterans who understand the cost of freedom firsthand. It also creates a uniquely powerful teaching moment, especially when young people participate.
Across Georgia, volunteers included multi-generational families, Scout troops, student groups, JROTC cadets, church groups, and civic organizations standing shoulder-to-shoulder with veterans and VFW members. This is the “Teach” part of the mission in action: young hands placing wreaths while listening to the stories of those who served, learning that patriotism isn’t a slogan, it’s stewardship.
When a child hears a veteran’s name spoken at a gravesite and sees adults take a moment of silence with bowed heads, something lasting is passed forward. That moment becomes a living lesson in gratitude.
The VFW Difference
Every year, Wreaths Across America succeeds because communities join together; this includes cemetery staff, volunteers, sponsors, donors, and organizations willing to do the work. Each and every year, the VFW helps make that work possible.
VFW Posts and Districts across Georgia didn’t participate for recognition. They participated because that’s what the VFW does: honor service, support families, strengthen communities, and ensure remembrance never fades.
As Georgia’s wreaths found their place – row by row, marker by marker; our members helped transform a winter day into something timeless. On this Wreaths Across America Day, the heart of the VFW showed up to ensure the promise that the fallen will be remembered; those who served will be honored, and future generations will be taught the value of freedom.
Wreaths Across America: Remember. Honor. Teach.
As Wreaths Across America Day came to a close across Georgia, the impact of the day remained evident in every wreath placed and every name spoken. Through the Wreaths Across America program, many VFW Posts and Districts across Georgia reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to honoring the fallen, supporting Gold Star families, and teaching future generations the true cost of freedom. Year after year, Wreaths Across America serves as a powerful reminder that remembrance is not a single day, but a shared responsibility throughout the entire year.
State Chief of Staff – VFW Department of Georgia
Marketing & Outreach – VFW Department of Georgia