On behalf of the Wreaths Across America organization and our family of volunteers and supporters, I want to thank YOU for supporting the mission to Remember the fallen, Honor those who serve, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom.

Together, we honored just over THREE million service members at 4,909 participating locations nationwide with the help of 7,566 sponsorship groups. Of these, 784 are new locations this year, with 353 ceremony-only locations and 4,556 locations placing sponsored wreaths. At Arlington National Cemetery, where this all began, more than 260,000 veterans’ wreaths were placed by 32,000 volunteers on a truly gorgeous day.

I have been reflecting on this year’s theme—Live with Purpose—and I hope each of you will carry it forward as a mindset in your daily lives. Throughout 2024, we learned stories of those living with purpose and focusing on service attributes, as described in the poem my husband Morrill wrote all those years ago for Gold Star parents, Mary and Lloyd Byers.

This poem describes the attributes that make up a veteran’s wreath (and those who serve our country) that inspired the 2024 theme. It is only fitting that the theme for 2025 should reflect this same spirit, a call to action for our volunteers and supporters in the communities they serve. Mary and Lloyd’s son, Captain Joshua Byers, was the Company Commander of Fox Troop in the 2/3ACR service in Iraq in 2003 when an IED struck his Humvee. As the smoke filled the air, Josh gave a last command to his driver to “Keep Moving Forward.” Though Josh didn’t make it home, this command saved lives and became a battle cry for his unit and family.

I am proud to announce this as the theme for 2025. There will always be challenges to overcome as individuals, communities and a country, but we must keep moving forward together. We look forward to sharing not only the Byers’ story of resilience but so many others who continue to live with purpose every day, and keep moving forward.

Thank you all for taking the time during this busy season to join us in letting veterans and military families know that their service and sacrifice are both seen and appreciated and that they are not alone in their loss.