Wreaths Across America brings mission of remembrance to the Lowcountry

The rows of white headstones at Beaufort National Cemetery tell a story stretching from the Civil War to Vietnam and beyond.

On Dec. 19, volunteers will return to those rows as part of National Wreaths Across America Day, placing remembrance wreaths on veterans’ graves and saying their names aloud.

Wreaths Across America describes its year-round work in three words: remember, honor and teach. What began with a Maine wreath maker placing surplus wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery in 1992 has grown into a national effort involving thousands of cemeteries and memorial sites. The nonprofit organization was established in 2007 to expand the annual tradition.

In 2025, more than 3.1 million sponsored wreaths were placed at 5,598 participating locations, according to Wreaths Across America.
The organization brought that broader mission to the Lowcountry recently when its Mobile Education Exhibit stopped Sept. 28 and 29 in Hardeeville.

The traveling exhibit, hosted locally by Wreaths Across America Beaufort and Sun City Hilton Head, was stationed at the Walmart at 4400 U.S. 278. Visitors could learn about military service and speak with volunteers. The exhibit also serves as an official “Welcome Home” location for Vietnam veterans. The Hardeeville visit was part of a national tour that continues through other communities this fall.

“The Mobile Education Exhibit provides the unique opportunity for communities to come together and share the stories of those who served and sacrificed,” Wreaths Across America Executive Director Karen Worcester said in announcing the Hardeeville visit.

The next major local observance will take place at Beaufort National Cemetery, where Wreaths Across America lists about 25,000 veteran graves. A ceremony is scheduled for noon Dec. 19, with wreath placement immediately afterward.

Beaufort National Cemetery was established in 1863 during the Civil War. Its original interments included Union soldiers who died in hospitals in the area. Some had initially been buried elsewhere, including on Hilton Head Island. About 2,800 remains were later moved to Beaufort from cemeteries in Millen and Lawton, Georgia.

The cemetery also contains the graves of 117 Confederate soldiers.

Among those buried there are two Medal of Honor recipients from the Vietnam War, Marine Pfc. Ralph H. Johnson and Marine Capt. John James McGinty III. Johnson, a Charleston native, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor after throwing himself on a grenade during a 1968 attack in Vietnam, an action that saved the life of another Marine. McGinty received the Medal of Honor for his actions during a 1966 battle in Vietnam.

The cemetery also became the final resting place in 1989 for 19 Black Union soldiers whose remains had been discovered two years earlier on Folly Island near Charleston. They were identified as members of the 55th Massachusetts Infantry and the 1st North Carolina Infantry, units that fought alongside the 54th Massachusetts during the Civil War.

That history gives particular meaning to Wreaths Across America’s emphasis on connecting younger generations with the individual stories behind military service.

Nationally, Wreaths Across America Day will be observed at more than 5,500 participating locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad this year.

At Beaufort National Cemetery, the local effort is working toward placing wreaths on as many graves as possible. Wreath sponsorships are $17, and volunteering to place wreaths does not require purchasing or sponsoring one.

National Wreaths Across America Day is Saturday, Dec. 19. The Beaufort National Cemetery ceremony begins at noon at 1601 Boundary St. in Beaufort, with wreath placement immediately afterward. Information about the local effort and wreath sponsorships is available at

www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/SC0151.