More than 6,000 people showed up to pay their respects, lay wreaths and volunteer Saturday at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.
Saturday was Wreaths Across America Day, held annually on the second or third Saturday of December. Ceremonies were held across the country, including in Dallas-Fort Worth, to honor and remember fallen soldiers and their families before Christmas.
Many people, like Letroy Glover and his family, placed wreaths on the grave sites of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
"We came out to lay wreaths," Glover said. "Some have paid the ultimate price and some have served ultimately for our freedom."
Mary Bush and her Gold Star family from Frisco have been leading the charge since 2009, when their son was killed in Afghanistan. They have raised money each year to help purchase the wreaths. The government, nor the cemetery, helps with those costs.
"Each year it gets bigger and bigger and more people are getting involved," Bush said. "It is the American military that preserves our freedom and while they do that they give up some of theirs. It's just an honor to recognize that and to thank them for that. It's an overwhelming feeling of joy to be able to share this with all of our citizens of Dallas-Fort Worth."
In addition to the work the Bush family has done, Omnitracs, a fleet management solutions to transportation and logistics company, donated $25,000 that helped to purchase 2,500 wreaths.
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The Bush family has already started to raise money for next year's wreaths that will stay right here in DFW. Donate here.
