Wreaths laid on veterans’ graves at Camp Nelson

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) – Wreaths were laid on the graves of more than 500 veterans Saturday at Camp Nelson National Cemetery in Nicholasville.

The ceremony was a part of the annual National Wreaths Across America Day.

The event was scaled back this year. It usual attracts hundreds of volunteers, but this year, only 25 people were allowed.

Jo Ellen Hayden, Deputy Locations Coordinator for Camp Nelson, says despite the change, veterans should always be honored.

“Veterans are never forgotten as long you say their names, and that’s one of the things that we do when we lay a wreath is we say their name,” Hayden said.

Hayden says the drastic decrease in numbers only allowed them to lay wreaths for 500 veterans, but next year she hopes record turnout allows them to place wreaths on all 16,000 graves located at the site.

The full press release is below:

On December 19, National Wreaths Across America Day was celebrated at Camp Nelson National Cemetery which is located south of Nicholasville. In this, a year like no other, the local WreathsCampNelson (www.WreathsCampNelson.org) organizing committee, aware of COVID-19 restrictions, made the decision to modify and continue the tradition of National Wreaths Across America Day. The committee accepted and placed 540 wreaths sponsored for specific graves, emphasized that all veterans would be honored symbolically by placing wreaths on war memorials and the gates of the cemetery, and continued the WAA mission to Remember ~ Honor ~ Teach.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the public was unable to attend this year and the entire operation was carried out with the help of less than 50 volunteers. This was a dramatic contrast to 2019, when over 700 volunteers and attendees assisted with the largest Wreaths Across America ever at Camp Nelson, placing more than 10,000 wreaths

The process began at Camp Nelson on Tuesday morning as a tractor trailer arrived with cartons of wreaths shipped from Maine. A crew of volunteers unloaded the wreaths in near-darkness with the temperature at about 23 degrees. One of those volunteers laid his own mother to rest at the cemetery the next day, one of four funerals held that day. Our wreaths were honored to travel side by side in the delivery truck from Maine with those delivered the day before to Arlington National Cemetery, and the truck went on to eight more cemeteries in Kentucky that day.

Showing respect to the grieving families of those being laid to rest on Wednesday created the need for last minute changes being made to wreath placement activity scheduled for that day. Again, this activity was limited to a very small number of pre-registered volunteers who were masked, gloved, and maintained social distancing, and were spread over the thirty-acre cemetery. The limitations mandated by the National Cemetery Administration as a response to the COVID epidemic caused the need to turn away many who requested to be part of the process. Working in a cold rain in temperatures just above freezing, the wreath placement volunteers were able to lay all wreaths before the arrival of the first funeral procession. As each wreath was placed, the name of that military veteran was spoken aloud, to remember each one and show support for their families.

The week was rounded out with a traditional ceremony where an honorary wreath squad placed ceremonial wreaths for each military service plus the U.S. Merchant Marine, POW/MIA, and U.S. war dead buried overseas. All participants wore black masks, gloves, and were required to maintain social distancing, something that would have been impossible if the crowds of former years had attended. All ceremony participants were Kentuckians, including many military veterans. In a first for the WreathsCampNelson team, a professional video was produced, including aerial drone footage of the cemetery; the video is available on the WreathsCampNelson Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KYCNNC and on YouTube, WreathsCampNelson Channel YouTube . Wreaths Across America was founded so that the courage and sacrifice of our military veterans would never be forgotten. Saturday, December 19th was National Wreaths Across America Day all across the country, when citizens came together to remember our fallen, honor those who serve, and teach younger generations the value of freedom. Those who sponsored wreaths helped in the effort to honor our hometown heroes and recognize their service to our nation, even if they were prevented from attending personally this year. Camp Nelson was one of 2,557 participating locations honoring nearly 1.8 million veterans across the country this year.

This annual public family-friendly event seeks to further the WAA mission of Remember, Honor, Teach, ensuring that the memory of those who served our country endures. Next year, WAA Day will be Saturday, December 18, 2021 and will be open to the public once again. Fundraising efforts have already begun with a goal of having wreaths for all 16,000 graves in 2021. All wreaths come from donations through the Wreaths Across America for Camp Nelson website, www.WreathsCampNelson.org. Further donations may be made at any time and will go toward the 2021 ceremony.