BATH, NY (WENY) -- In just under two weeks, national cemeteries across the country will be filled with volunteers to lay wreaths at the graves of service members. Monday afternoon, thousands of wreaths to honor those laid to rest at Bath National Cemetery were delivered, ahead of the national Wreaths Across America event on December 14.

The tractor trailer delivering the wreaths was escorted to the Bath VA campus by police, fire and EMS agencies, after it exited Interstate 86 and drove through the village of Bath. For truck driver Kent Tryon, it's been a personal mission for more than 15 years. He first began hauling wreaths while working as a driver for Walmart, a sponsor of Wreaths Across America. He later launched his own private trucking business, and is continuing his mission to support veterans. As a U.S. Army veteran himself, and Patriot Guard Rider ride captain, he says it's his way of honoring those who served. 

"This is a way to say thank you, to all of those whether they died in combat, lived through combat and passed away from natural causes and causes related to combat, this is the best way – to be able to come up here, grab a wreath, go to a grave site, look down and say that person's name, and lay the wreath down," Tryon said.

Once at the Bath VA campus, volunteers made quick work of unloading more than 2,700 wreaths, stacking them on hay carts ahead of the December 14 event. On that day, sun, rain or snow, hundreds of volunteers will place the wreaths at the graves of veterans; some will bow their heads and cover their heart, while others offer a salute to the service member laid to rest there. 


"We have a ceremony at noon, and then everybody gets a wreath and is guided to a section where we are laying the wreaths, and it really is a beautiful sight, it really is, especially if we have snow," said Bath site coordinator, Linda Conway.

"It's important to honor and remember our fallen. Each and every year, it's special to all of us, to see the community, Finger Lakes VA, come together in the national cemetery and pay tribute to our fallen soldiers," explained Bath VA Fire Chief, and U.S Air Force veteran Jimmy Webster. 

Donations to Wreaths Across America led to 2,743 wreaths being sponsored for Bath National Cemetery. A far cry from the more than 17,000 graves on the property. According to Conway, they typically average about 5,000 wreaths per year.

"Our goal is to cover every stone. So show your support, and next year sponsor a wreath," suggested Webster.

The cost to sponsor a wreath is $17; donations received now will go towards next year's event. Conway said for 2025, they said the plan to begin fundraising earlier in the year in order to secure more sponsorships. 

"Those veterans sacrificed their lives for our nation. Protecting our freedoms, so we are still free today. And this is just a way to honor them, especially at Christmas time when they don’t have a family member to come up and decorate their grave – we're there to decorate their grave, say their name, and just say thank you for your service," Conway said.

Beginning at noon on December 14th, a military ceremony will be held at the monument in the cemetery, before the wreath laying begins. The ceremony begins at noon; volunteers are asked to arrive by 11:30. Shuttles will run from the VA campus to the cemetery, due to parking constraints and the cemetery's hilly terrain. 

The event is somber, and meant to ensure those who served are never forgotten. And for people like Kent Tryon, visual encouragement to keep supporting his fellow veterans.

"I can't even explain how beautiful it is, when this hillside is full of these green wreaths with the red bows, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he said.

Tryon has also been selected to be part of the Wreaths Across America National Honor Fleet convoy to deliver wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. 

"That's something I've worked real hard for, for a long, long time," Tryon said. "I can't even put it into words. I've been there with an Honor Flight from the local area a couple of times, every time I go into Arlington and watch the Changing of the Guard [ceremony], go to the Wall [Vietnam Veterans Memorial], you just, you can't put those [into] words. It's right here," he said as he tapped his chest. 

 

Listed below are times for Wreaths Across America ceremonies in the Twin Tiers:

BRADFORD COUNTY, PA:
11AM - Athens Cemetery, 16 N. Church Street, Athens, PA

CHEMUNG COUNTY, NY:
9AM - Woodlawn National Cemetery, 1825 Davis Street, Elmira, NY

SENECA COUNTY, NY:
12PM - New York State Veterans Cemetery, 6632 NY-96A, Romulus, NY

STEUBEN COUNTY, NY:
12PM - Bath National Cemetery, San Juan Avenue, Bath, NY

TIOGA COUNTY, PA:
9AM - Downtown Covington, PA

9AM - Liberty VFW, 1616 Beuterstown Road, Liberty, PA

10:30AM - Veterans Monument, Blossburg, PA

2PM - Veterans Memorial, Williamson High School, 33 Jct Cross Road, Tioga, PA
       - Wreath Placement to follow immediately after at Powers Cemetery, Lawrenceville, PA