Veterans honored during Wreaths Across America event in Bluffdale
Dec 14, 2024, 4:18 PM | Updated: 5:47 pm
BLUFFDALE — Cemeteries often feel a little busier during the holidays, as families visit loved ones to keep their memories alive.
For Stephanie Higham and her family, visiting the Utah Veteran’s Cemetery and Park in Bluffdale wasn’t about seeing someone they knew.
Instead, for them, it was about honoring those they had never met.
“I want my kids to understand that the freedoms we have aren’t free,” said Higham, a Magna resident. “They need to understand that people have sacrificed a lot so we have the freedoms and opportunities that we have.”
Stephanie Higham and her family placing wreaths on veteran graves. (Mark Less, KSL TV)
Higham and her family were among more than a hundred people who attended the annual Wreaths Across America event. It is an event held across the country where wreaths are placed on the graves of veterans.
The event emphasizes not only laying wreaths but also saying the names of each veteran aloud, a gesture meant to keep their memory alive.
“It’s important to me that people aren’t forgotten,” said James Childs. “If you think about every wreath, that’s somebody’s sacrifice for us to have the freedoms that we have.”
Wreaths lined up on the graves of veterans. (Mark Less, KSL TV)
Childs, a retired Air Force veteran from Lehi, was among the volunteers who placed wreaths. He recently moved to Utah and loves seeing the support the program has.
“I think Utah has actually been pretty good in not forgetting,” he said. “There is always some kind of event going on or something remembering people and that always makes me happy.”
This year, more than 1,300 wreaths were purchased through donations from individuals and companies. The ceremony lasted less than an hour, but its impact, particularly with children, could last a lifetime.
“Say thank you for your service,” said Higham to her children.
“Thank you for your service,” said one of her children while placing a wreath on a headstone.
