By David Fleet
Editor
Holly-Stanley Kengerski—the name of a WWI veteran spoken grave side by Ortonville VFW Commander Dennis Hoffman on a bitter cold morning at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly.
“It’s customary for volunteers who place a wreath on a veteran’s grave to say aloud their name,” said Hoffman. “It keeps the memory of that veteran alive.”
On Dec. 16, Hoffman along with hundreds of volunteers participated in Wreaths Across America Day at Great Lakes National Cemetery. This year the annual event was responsible for laying nearly 750,000 wreaths on veterans’ graves at 1,200 different locations across the country. The wreaths were purchased by donations and filled five, 40-foot-long Walmart semi trucks when they were delivered to Great Lakes National Cemetery.
“Despite the bad weather and heavy snow there were 14,000 wreaths laid on the graves of veterans,” said Hoffman, who has participated in the event for the past three years.

“It’s so inspiring to see so many family members out there and to recognize the veterans at the holidays.”
The wreath program to honor fallen veterans began in 1992 after Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company, of Harrington, Maine, found he had extra wreaths just before Christmas. To use the wreaths, Worcester opted to have them placed on graves in an old section of Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C.
The event continued and became an annual event at Arlington. Over the next few years other groups helped to raise more money to place a wreaths on graves of the veterans. The event grew nationwide and in 2008, Congress designed the third Saturday of December as “Wreaths Across America” Day.