Andersonville National Historic Site in Georgia will be just one of many cemeteries across the country to remember and honor military veterans past and present by participating in the Wreaths Across America program.
Sponsored wreaths will be laid on gravesites in national cemeteries across the country, including Andersonville National Cemetery, on Saturday, December 15. The Civil Air Patrol will conduct this annual ceremony honoring America's armed forces in the Andersonville National Cemetery on December 15 at noon; wreaths will be distributed throughout the cemetery immediately following.
Wreaths Across America is a national program to not only honor those currently being buried, but also to remember the thousands of forgotten graves found in national cemeteries.
Each year the sections in which sponsored wreaths are placed are rotated to eventually include all veterans buried in the National Cemetery. For 2012, sponsored wreaths will be placed in Andersonville's Sections A and B, which contain burials dating from the Civil War to the early 1960s. If you, your family, organization, or business is interested in sponsoring one or more wreaths to be placed on a grave in the cemetery, you can learn more about the program and sponsor wreaths online at wreathsacrossamerica.org
If you are interested in remembering a loved one or a specific grave in the cemetery, beginning December 1, wreaths and floral blankets no larger than 2 by 3 feet are permitted in the cemetery. Please contact your local florist to order an appropriate floral decoration. Wreaths should be brought in person, or delivered by a florist, directly to the gravesite.
To find the location of a specific grave, you can visit this website.
"As always, we invite families to remember their loved ones by decorating their gravesites during the holiday season," says Brad Bennett, Andersonville's superintendent. "For others who may not have a direct family connection, but wish to honor 'forgotten' veterans interred at Andersonville National Cemetery, the Wreaths Across America program and the Civil Air Patrol ceremony allow us to remember the many sacrifices made in service to our nation."
Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe, Georgia, and 10 miles northeast of Americus, Georgia, on Georgia Highway 49. The national park features the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville National Cemetery and the site of the historic Civil War prison, Camp Sumter.
Andersonville National Historic Site is the only national park within the National Park System to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Park grounds are open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. with the museum opening at 9 a.m. Admission is free.
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Don't forget Camp Douglas in Chicago where many of my relatives died of disease during the Civil War under deplorable conditions. Every coin has two sides.