Once again, North Texas has made sure there will be no shortage of wreaths to lay in front of every headstone at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery over the 2022 holiday season.
This year 51,000 graves needed a wreath at the cemetery and according to the Wreaths Across America website and organizers, the goal has been surpassed.
Mary and Chris Bush started the local Wreaths Across America chapter the same year their son - soldier Cpl. Peter Courcy of Frisco - was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2009.
In the first year, they laid 250 wreaths. The endeavor has grown over the years, with wreaths at every single grave in 2019, 2021 and now 2022.
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"Mary and I are so happy and humbled that our community continues to support our veterans and their families at the DFW National Cemetery," said Chris Bush. "We believe that a wreath for every veteran clearly states that our community Remembers the Fallen; Honors those who Serve; and We believe in Teaching our Children about the Value of Freedom."
More than 8,000 were donated through NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 Veteran's Network page that's far more than the 3,000 donated in 2021, and we are grateful.
Veteran's Network is an employee resource group within NBC Universal -- Adam Garcia, the son of NBCU member Cynthia Garcia, was mortally wounded in Iraq in 2006 and is buried at DFW National Cemetery. Each year Vet Net members volunteer to lay wreaths in the section where Garcia is buried.
CLICK HERE to visit the NBC 5 & Telemundo 39 Veteran's Network Wreaths Across America page
The donation deadline was Nov. 29.
The fresh wreaths are all placed at the headstones by volunteers and family. This year, the Wreaths Across America ceremony will be held at the cemetery on Dec. 17 at 11 a.m. You can learn more here.
"We encourage everyone to join us at the DFW National Cemetery on December 17th. It is a wonderful day of fellowship and you will find the American Spirit is alive and well at the DFW National Cemetery and in our community," said Bush.
If you aren't aware of how massive the DFW National Cemetery is, it is one of the largest in the country, with a capacity of 280,000.
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