Ernest Hemmingway once said that, "Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name."
Steve Nash of the Navy League of the U.S. Vallejo Council and many others are making sure that second death never comes for men and women buried at the Mare Island Naval Cemetery and the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon.
Despite frigid temperatures on Saturday morning, many people attended the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony at both cemeteries to take the time to place a wreath on the venues' tombstones and say the name of the person listed on it.
Nash, who served at NAS Alameda from 1974-1980, once again organized the event in Vallejo.
"Today we're here to honor all these men and women out here in the cemetery. The freedoms that we enjoy every day have come with a great price," Nash said in a brief speech. "We will never forget those who gave their lives for this great nation. Now as we begin placing these wreaths remember to read the name of the head stone and say, 'Thank you' as you place the wreath."
Nash said that donations were down this year and in order to make sure that all the tombstones had a wreath, he donated money out of his pocket. Nash said he believes donations have been down the last two years because they've lost Phillips 66 and Valero, which have been great donors in the past. However, a wreath was still created for all 940 tombstones in the Mare Island Cemetery.
"When you look at the community that is out here to thank those veterans that are deceased out here, that makes your heart warm," Nash said. "The fact that they are here makes it all worth it. It's important for everyone to not forget these veterans. We recognize them during Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Wreaths Across America Day."
One of the people that came out for the Saturday event once again was Fleta Matthew of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority —Epsilon Phi Zeta Chapter who was at the event with many of her friends and sorority members.
"We come here every year like clockwork, the second Saturday in December," said Matthews. "I'm here every year whether it there's rain, snow, sleet or just cold weather. My husband is a retired veteran so this means a lot to me. I try to stop and say a prayer at each grave and remember the fallen."
Also placing wreaths was Erwhien Buenaflor, with Men of Gilead Masonic Rides Association.
"When you think of the ultimate sacrifices, this is really nothing," Buenaflor said. "We have a family member who is retired military and my son is serving in U.S. Navy and my youngest son is going to graduate high school this year and is thinking about joining the Air Force."
David Osuna, with the same association as Buenaflor said this was the first time he had come to Mare Island, however, he had been going to Wreaths Around America events for years.
"My dad was in the military for 20 years so it's like giving back to the military soldier men for our country," Osunsa said. "We say their name and say a little prayer once we lay the wreath down."
The event was started by Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine. When Worchester was a 12-year-old paper boy when he won a trip to Washington D.C. It was his first to our nation's capital and one that would change the trajectory of his life and the lives of millions of others across the country.
Seeing the hundreds of thousands of graves and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery made an especially indelible impression on him. It was an experience that followed him throughout his life and successful career, reminding him that his good fortune was due, in large part, to the values of his nation and the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
In 1992, Worcester Wreath found themselves with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season. Remembering his boyhood experience at Arlington, Worcester realized he had an opportunity to honor this country's veterans. With the aid of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, arrangements were made for the surplus wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older cemetery sections that had been receiving fewer visitors each passing year.
That includes the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, where hundreds of volunteers turned out in the early morning hours to place wreaths as part of the Wreaths Across America.
Rhonda Polder of Vacaville was volunteering for the first time. "I heard about it last year but wasn't sure how it worked. So this year, I made sure to find out and be out here," she said. "I just wanted to be a part of it."
For Jake and Candy Miller it was a family affair, their son Preston Jacob Miller is among the Army servicemen buried at the cemetery and they joined his widow Morgan Miller of Red Bluff to volunteer with the effort. It was their first time to join the effort and they may have traveled the furthest.
"We came from Indiana, drove the 2,300 miles to get here," said Jake.
"It's a way to honor him," said Candy.
At 9 a.m., the cemetery hosted a special ceremony where that sentiment was repeated by speakers and wreaths honoring each branch of the military as well as the Merchant Marines, POWs and MIAs were placed before taps was played and volunteers laid wreaths in one final section of the cemetery.
Travis Air Force Base Commander Colonel Brandon R. Shroyer spoke to the crowd before the final laying of wreaths telling them, "Today we are out here to show respect and gratitude for all those who have done before us. As you place the wreaths, say the name on the headline outline and thank them for their service." He encouraged them to "think about the service and sacrifice" of each veteran buried at the cemetery.
The Mare Island Naval Cemetery, the oldest Naval one on the West Coast and designated as a National Historic Landmark, has gone through a major restoration. Neglected for years, a process to repair it began shortly after retired U.S. Navy Commander Ralph Parrott visited the venue and voiced his displeasures about the condition to then- Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan.
On Saturday Aaron Shoup, a Procurement Specialist with the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery said that on Jan. 12 Washington D.C. folks will be in Vallejo to discuss construction of things such as a new irrigation system and a parking lot at the Mare Island Naval Cemetery.
That tradition continues to this day at all 50 states and at more than 4,600 locations.
© 2025 Times-Herald (Vallejo, Calif.). Visit www.timesheraldonline.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
