POSTED ON December 13, 2022

LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO HOLD WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA CEREMONIES AT STATE-RUN VETERANS CEMETERIES

BATON ROUGE, La.—The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs will hold Wreaths Across America ceremonies at Louisiana’s state-run veterans cemeteries on Saturday, Dec. 17. Ceremonies are held annually on the third Saturday in December across the nation at more than 3,100 memorial sites in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and on foreign soil to remember, honor and teach.

“Wreaths Across America is so important because its mission is to ensure that no veteran is forgotten, especially during the holidays,” said LDVA Secretary Joey Strickland, COL (USA Retired). “When we place a wreath, we’re not decorating a grave—we’re remembering each veteran’s life. As long as we speak their name and thank them for their service, a veteran never dies.”

The schedule of ceremonies is as follows:

Central Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
3348 University Parkway
Leesville, LA 71446
11 a.m. ceremony followed by wreath placement
Guest speaker COL Samuel P. Smith Jr., Commander, HQ, U.S. Army Garrison, JRTC and Fort Polk

Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
2413 Highway 425
Rayville, LA 71269
11 a.m. ceremony followed by wreath placement

Northwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
7970 Mike Clark Road
Keithville, LA 71047
11 a.m. ceremony
Guest speaker Rolland Coleman, MAJ (USAF Retired)

Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
34888 Grantham College Drive
Slidell, LA 70460
11 a.m. ceremony followed by wreath placement

Southwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
1620 Evangeline Road
Jennings, LA 70546
11 a.m. ceremony followed by wreath placement
Guest speaker LTC Daniel Fritts, Louisiana Army National Guard, Commander 3-156^th  Infantry Battalion, Lake Charles, La.

In 2021, 2.4 million veterans’ wreaths were placed in total across the country with more than 250,000 of them at Arlington National Cemetery. More than two million volunteers participated at 3,137 locations nationwide of which one-third were children. More than 525 truckloads of wreaths were delivered across the country by hundreds of volunteer professional truck drivers driving donated equipment and fuel from approximately 390 carriers.

If you would like to purchase a wreath for 2023, follow one or more of the links below for your cemetery of choice:

Central Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
bit.ly/LeesvilleWreaths

Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
bit.ly/RayvilleWreaths

Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
bit.ly/SlidellWreaths

Southwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery
bit.ly/JenningsWreaths

For more information about the Wreaths Across America ceremonies or LDVA, visit vetaffairs.la.gov, email veteran@la.gov, call 225.219.5000 or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

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