Wreaths Across America is a national ceremony, held Dec. 18 this year. Our nation’s heroes are remembered as each name is said aloud and honored as more than 525 truckloads of wreaths are delivered and nearly two million volunteers help place more than 2.4 million veterans’ wreaths on headstones across the country.

Cedar Hill Memorial Park, 1700 Airport Road, Hanover Township, Lehigh County, has many service members interred there and takes part in the event each year.

The day started at dawn as drivers from Sam’s Club loaded the wreaths. This year, there were 5,000 wreaths to honor those who served.

Leathernecks coordinated the public ceremony and assisted with parking. Local Boy Scout troops coordinated the distribution of wreaths.

The Gold Star and Blue Star mothers helped organize the event. Gold Star Mothers are women who lost their sons and daughters in combat.

Carol Resh started Wreaths Across America in Allentown in 2012. The organization has grown from 1,000 wreaths to 5,000 this year.

This year honored Sgt. 1st Class Wolffram W. Bischof, Green Beret, Vietnam; Capt. Mark Resh, U.S. Army, Operation Iraqi Freedom; Spc. Jesse Reed, U.S. Army, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan; Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert, U.S. Army, Operation Iraqi Freedom; Sgt. Joshua Smith, U.S. Marine Corps, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan; and Pvt. Raymond Haas, World War II, Battle of the Bulge.

This year, the ceremony began with volunteers placing wreaths for WWI service members.

Service members who represented the different branches were Capt. Nathan Rector, Army; Sgt. Scott Anderson, Marine Corps; Petty Officer 3rd Class Bruce Miller; Maj. Gerald Still, Air Force; Sgt. David Rothrock, Space Force; Rear Adm. David Kunkel, Coast Guard; and Petty Officer 3rd Class William Siegfried.

Ceremony participants included Sgt. Jonathan Wolfel, Army; Sgt. David Bollinger, Army; and Maureen Hickman Caporaso, a daughter of a missing-in-action veteran who represented POW-MIA service members.

The Rev. Becky Beckworth gave the invocation and benediction.

Ethan Hawks and Anne Lazewsku, with Liberty High School Grenadiers, heralded the buglers.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7293, Whitehall, provided the color guard for the event.

Joan Glover, with Catholic War Veterans Post 454, Northampton, guided the ceremony.

Next year’s Wreaths Across America Day will be held Dec. 17, 2022. For more information, visit wreathsacrossamerica.org.