“Keep Moving Forward” will be more than a slogan in Cumberland County this Christmas season. It will be a promise laid gently on thousands of veterans’ headstones.
Wreaths Across America, a national nonprofit organization, coordinates an annual effort in which volunteers place live evergreen wreaths on veterans’ graves each December. A tradition that began in the early 1990s as one small act of gratitude at Arlington National Cemetery has grown into a year-round mission to remember the fallen and honor those who serve.
This tradition reminds future generations of the value of freedom. Each wreath is laid by hand, and each veteran’s name is spoken aloud in a moment of personal remembrance.
For 2025, Wreaths Across America has announced its new national theme: “Keep Moving Forward.” Those three words were the final command of Capt. Joshua Byers, US Army, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2003 when an improvised explosive device struck his Humvee. As smoke filled the air and chaos unfolded, Capt. Byers urged his driver to keep moving forward. That command saved other soldiers’ lives and later became a rallying cry for his unit, his family and now for volunteers across the country.
The theme also connects to an idea Wreaths Across America highlighted in 2024: the “ten bouquets” that make up a veteran’s wreath. Written as a poem by the organization’s founder for Gold Star parents Mary and Lloyd Byers, the ten bouquets represent qualities such as courage, character, loyalty and sacrifice. Together, they form a living symbol of what our service members stand for and why their stories should never be forgotten. The 2025 theme invites communities to carry that spirit into their daily lives and to keep moving forward with purpose.
Here in our area, the mission comes to life in a very visible way at Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake and at the Main Post Cemetery on Fort Bragg. Several local Wreaths Across America groups support these efforts in and around Fayetteville, but the primary Sandhills campaign is led by local coordinator Ann Provencher. Each year, she and her volunteers set a clear goal: to place a wreath on every single grave at Sandhills and at the Main Post Cemetery so that no veteran is left out.
That goal is both inspiring and challenging. Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery alone is the final resting place for thousands of men and women who served. So far for the 2025 season, 3,790 wreaths have been sponsored for Sandhills, which represents 42.1 percent of the total goal.
To cover every grave, the community still needs 5,210 more wreaths. Each wreath sponsored moves the cemetery one step closer to complete coverage and ensures another veteran’s name will be spoken aloud on Wreaths Across America Day.
National Wreaths Across America Day will be observed this year on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. At Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, the ceremony will begin at noon, with wreath placement taking place immediately afterward. The event is free and open to the public.
Families, veterans, civic groups, churches, and individual citizens are all invited to attend.
Volunteers typically gather for a brief program honoring service and sacrifice, then spread out across the cemetery with boxes of wreaths, quietly working their way down each row of headstones.
What sets this ceremony apart is the simple ritual that accompanies the wreath placement. Volunteers are encouraged to pause at each grave, place the wreath, read the name engraved on the stone, and say it out loud.
That short act turns the gesture from a decoration into a personal tribute. For family members who may be present, hearing a loved one’s name spoken by a stranger can be deeply moving. For those without family nearby, it is a promise that their service still matters to the community they once defended.
Although the wreath laying happens in December, the work to make it possible begins months in advance. Wreaths can be sponsored now, and early sponsorships are vital to ensure there are enough wreaths available to cover both Sandhills and the Main Post Cemetery when the big day arrives. Community members can also volunteer to help on the day of the ceremony. Assistance with outreach, promotion or help with organizing group efforts through schools, businesses, places of worship, or civic organizations.
One wreath represents one name spoken, one life recognized and one more step forward together in gratitude.
To sponsor a wreath, visit https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/16700/Overview/?relatedId=0