Nearly 4,000 Christmas wreaths arrive at Ga. Veterans Memorial Cemetery
Dec. 16—For the sixth straight year, Darryl Dunn drove his red shiny Peterbilt tractor-trailer rig into a storage area at the Georgia Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon. The 53-foot trailer was loaded with thousands of Christmas wreaths for veterans who have died and are buried there.
The trailer also contained boxes and boxes of wreaths destined for other communities, including the Elks Lodge in Eatonton and a location in Jones County.
The veteran truck driver from Elliston, Virginia, was escorted to the cemetery through various states after his departure from Columbia Falls, Maine, on Sunday.
"I drove some 1,690 plus miles to get here," Dunn said, noting that the entire way he was escorted through various states by law enforcement officers who provided access through busy intersections and traffic devices. "It's truly an honor to bring these Christmas wreaths every year."
He and other truckers, loaded with Christmas wreaths for destinations throughout the country, left out of Maine under special escort by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies as well as firefighters and EMS personnel. The Christmas wreaths are part of a national program known as "Wreaths Across America."
"It's very special to see how those agencies honor veterans at Christmas," Dunn said.
As he came through Morgan and Putnam counties along U.S. Highway 441, deputies with the Morgan County and Putnam County sheriff's offices escorted him in his route to Baldwin County. Once he arrived at the Putnam-Baldwin line at Lake Sinclair, deputies with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office and officers with the Milledgeville Police Department led him through intersections with blue lights and sirens.
Also providing special escort for Dunn were members of the national Patriot Guard Riders as well as members of the Georgia Patriot Guard Riders on their motorcycles. Many of them are retired military men and women or former law enforcement officers.
Members of The Patriot Guard Riders immediately sprung into action once Dunn parked his big rig in an unloading area at the Georgia Veterans Memorial Cemetery. After Dunn opened the back doors of the trailers, some of the Patriot Guard Riders jumped onboard and began to unload box after box of the Christmas wreaths.
Each box contained 12 wreaths.
Dunn delivered a total of 3,708 wreaths at the cemetery.
After leaving the cemetery, Dunn delivered 59 boxes of wreaths in Conyers; seven boxes of wreaths at Boxford Baptist Church in Waynesboro; 36 boxes of wreaths at Sardis Baptist Church; and then 25 boxes of wreaths at the Elks Lodge in Putnam County and 57 boxes at the VFW.
"We spend days and days in here on the hardest days in these families lives with these veterans," said Don Wilson of Perry, who serves as national vice president of captains of Patriot Guard Riders of Georgia, Inc. "This is another opportunity for us to never forget and always remember. One of the key things about Wreaths Across America is to honor, remember and teach our future generations about the sacrifices that these people in the cemetery made for our country."
He added that The Patriot Guard Riders are deeply appreciative of truck drivers like Dunn, who volunteer their time and companies that allow them to do this every year at Christmas.
The Patriot Guard Riders help raise money to purchase the wreaths all year round. Donations also come from corporations, various veteran organizations, and from the private sector.
A special ceremony remembering the veterans at the Georgia Veterans Memorial Cemetery near Milledgeville will take place Saturday at noon. The ceremony will take place near the main entrance. The public is invited to attend.
The guest speaker will be John Griffin, commander of the Morris-Little American Legion Post No. 6 in Milledgeville.
After the ceremony, Christmas wreaths will be placed at every gravesite in the large cemetery.
