Volunteers worked through snow flurries and trudged over slushy grounds Saturday to lay thousands of wreaths on the gravesites at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. Several hundred members of the Civil Air Patrol, the Patriot Guard, representatives from the military services, veterans and other volunteers took part in the 11 a.m. ceremony, which included a public presentation and a moment of silence for fallen servicemen and women, followed by the laying of the wreaths. It was all part of Wreaths Across America, a holiday wreath-laying tradition to honor America's veterans. Similar ceremonies took place across the nation. Some florists in the metro area collected donations or contributed wreaths. The Worcester Wreath Co. began the tradition 20 years ago and each year has decorated monuments on thousands of graves at Arlington National Cemetery. The company has donated 90,000 wreaths to date. The campaign's motto,
"Remember, Honor and Teach," is a tribute to all branches of the U.S. military. For more information, visit the Wreaths Across America website at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.