Veterans Honored As Morristown Plans Wreaths Across America

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Morristown's fallen heroes will be honored once again this year with wreaths placed on their graves through the Wreaths Across America program.

According to event organizers, this year's Morristown Remembers Wreaths Across America Memorial Service will be held on Dec. 14 at 12 p.m. at Holy Rood Cemetery Church of The Assumption, which is located at 61 Whippany Rd.

Following the ceremony, participants and volunteers are invited to place wreaths on the graves of veterans marked by the American flag, while honoring each individual by saying their name aloud.

The community event, sponsored by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Morris County, American Legion Post 59 of Morristown, NJ, and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Morristown Chapter, will help Holy Rood Cemetery honor and remember local veterans.

Sponsoring a veteran’s wreath is a personal gesture of gratitude and remembrance for those who served our country, officials said.

Wreaths Across America formally organized in 2007, but got its start informally in 1992 when a Maine wreath company wanted to donate wreaths for graves at Arlington National Cemetery to remember and honor the nation's service members.

"The annual tribute went on quietly for several years, until 2005, when a photo of the stones at Arlington, adorned with wreaths and covered in snow, circulated around the internet. Suddenly, the project received national attention," the organization says on its website. "Thousands of requests poured in from all over the country from people wanting to help with Arlington, to emulate the Arlington project at their National and State cemeteries."

In 2023, over three million sponsored veteran wreaths were placed by volunteers on headstones at 4,225 participating locations worldwide.

There are more than 850 veterans buried at Holy Rood Cemetery, officials said.

For more information on how to donate or sponsor a wreath, visit the website for Wreaths Across America website.