Honor Our Veterans This Holiday Season
“A person dies twice: once when they take their final breath, and later, the last time their name is spoken.” That is the driving sentiment behind the national “Wreaths Across America” movement. Each December, volunteers place wreaths on individual veterans’ graves at over 1,200 locations throughout the U.S., and do ceremonies at sea and at each of the national cemeteries on foreign soil. As they lay a wreath, volunteers are urged to say the name of the veteran they are honoring out loud, and to thank the serviceman or woman for their service and sacrifice on behalf of our country.
The act of laying a wreath, saying a name, and saying thank you is simple, but it means a lot. As a firm that works with a lot of veterans, learning about Wreaths Across America really touched our heart. Several former clients that we helped get benefits will have a wreath laid at their stones this year. We love the thought that someone is going say their name and thank them because they deserve it.
When we worked with them, we heard their stories. We learned about their bravery and the hardships they faced as we poured over the written records of their service. Triumphs and tragedies reduced to typewritten letters that we helped them use to get medical care, employment training, disability payments, and burial benefits.
Our veterans deserve every benefit that has been promised to them, and it is frustrating that it often takes years of legal wrangling to get someone the help or services they deserve. We are honored that work on behalf of veterans makes up part of our practice, and hope to continue this work for years to come.
If you would like to honor our veterans this holiday season by participating in Wreaths Across America, there are many ways to get involved. In addition to the main ceremony that is hosted at Arlington National Cemetery outside of Washington, D.C., there are multiple cemeteries in North Carolina and South Carolina that will host wreath laying ceremonies. You can find the details for when and where ceremonies will take place online.