Ceremony honors almost 10,000 veterans at state cemetery

FERNLEY—Thousands of wreaths were delivered this week as volunteers prepare for the annual Wreaths Across America remembrance on Saturday at the state’s second-largest veterans cemetery.

The Nevada Veterans Coalition conducts the largest WAA ceremony in the region at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley beginning at 9 a.m.

Wreaths Across America is conducted around the world. The Fernley program continues to draw thousands of people to remember their loved ones who are interred at the NNVMC. Friends and family members place wreaths at the Fernley veterans cemetery and the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City in addition to county or regional cemeteries.

Every year, the Nevada Veterans Coalition in Fernley raises money to buy wreaths for almost 10,000 veterans who are interred at the cemetery. Wreaths are placed at each veteran’s headstone or along the columbarium each year through the work of volunteers and the NVC. During previous ceremonies, volunteers from Naval Air Station Fallon, the Nevada National Guard, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps and the Civil Air Patrol have assisted the coalition during the 30-minute ceremony and with the placement of wreaths.

This year across the nation at 3,100 participating locations like Fernley, the WAA program said there are millions of Americans gathering safely to place 2.4 million wreaths as one nation to remember, honor and teach.

Volunteers from Naval Air Station Fallon, the Nevada National Guard, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps and the Civil Air Patrol normally assist the NVC during the Fernley ceremony and with the placement of wreaths. A cadet from one of the two youth groups accompanies a veteran from a branch of service that’s being recognized and then helps with the placement of a remembrance wreath at a large medallion near the pavilion.

Although the national program began in the mid-2000s for families to lay wreaths at veterans’ gravesites, the program at the state veterans cemetery at Fernley began 17 years ago with 40 wreaths and a crowd that numbered about 50. Whether it’s a warm day or a cold winter Saturday, the WAA remembrance at Fernley draws upward of 2,000 visitors.

Every year, the event’s narrator reminds visitors about the words of President Ronald Reagan. The 40th president said freedom is never more than one step away from the next generation.

The NVC continually fundraises for wreaths with the intent that every veteran is honored. To order a wreath for the 2025 event, go to nnvc.org and click on Wreaths Across America for the PDF form or mail your donation to the following:

Nevada Veterans Coalition
P.O. Box 415
Fernley, Nevada 89408