For Olga Koloditskaya, volunteering to place wreaths at the graves of troops buried at Arlington National Cemetery is an opportunity to give back to those who gave all.
Koloditskaya grew up in the Soviet Union and moved to the United States more than 25 years ago. Having since become a U.S. citizen, she believes it’s important to acknowledge the sacrifices so many have made.
“This is the least I can do to honor all these warriors for what they did to effect and protect that beacon of freedom that the U.S. is to the rest of the world throughout the centuries; to remember their sacrifices to ensure the U.S. continues to be that shining city upon a hill, a symbol of hope to so many in the world,” she told the Washington Examiner.
Koloditskaya is one of 75,000 people expected to lay a wreath at Arlington on Saturday. Neither the wreaths nor the wreath-layers are supplied by the U.S. government. The wreaths are donated. Volunteers place them one by one on headstones.
The practice began in 1992, when Maine wreath-maker Morrill Worcester had a surplus of Christmas wreaths and sent them to Arlington to be placed on older graves that got few visitors. Helped by family, friends, and charitable groups, Worcester repeated the process for years. The tradition grew into Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization that helps coordinate wreath-laying ceremonies across the country.
“It brings people together of all different backgrounds to come and say ‘thank you’ and to honor, remember, and teach the next generation,” Amber Caron, spokeswoman for Wreaths Across America, told the Washington Examiner.
As many as three million volunteers are expected to lay 2.2 million wreaths at 2,100 locations this year. Some people participate year after year, making the event a part of their annual holiday celebrations. At least one-third will be children, according to Caron, ensuring those who have fallen will be remembered by the next generation.
“It probably sounds corny to many Americans, but it rings true to me and to many others who came from the cold,” Koloditskaya said. “And this feeling remains strong even after 26 years.”
Arlington’s Section 60, where a large number of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried, holds particular meaning for the immigrant Koloditskaya.
“There lie the warriors who gave their lives, so we do not have to threaten ours here at home,” she said. “Knowing how unpopular the current conflicts are among some parts of our society, I feel it is important to show the fallen and their families that their ultimate sacrifice was not in vain and unappreciated.”
Wreaths Across America’s efforts have grown by 20% each year, according to Caron. The wreath-laying event went international last year when wreaths were laid at the graves of those who died during the World War II Normandy invasion. This year, Caron and her colleagues visited the graves of those who died during the Battle of the Bulge. The group hopes to one day lay a wreath at the grave of every service member.
“Our goal is to someday honor them all,” Caron said.
