Saturday, I had a unique experience to assist with the gathering of wreaths from the “Wreaths Across America” program. The uniqueness wasn’t in volunteering, even though it was truly appreciated, but in where it took place.
I had driven by the Beaufort SC National Cemetery many times since our move to South Carolina. It has to be one of the loveliest National Cemeteries in America with the white crosses in perfect alignment, intertwined with large moss-filled oak trees, some trees probably as old as our nation. The manicured grasses are like walking on air or plush carpet, not a blade of grass out of place. The old brick wall that surrounds the Cemetery helps keep the traffic noise down from the downtown area of Beaufort, just steps away.
Having stopped once before to see some of the graves, records show the Cemetery has over 25,000 tombstones with 30,000 interred. Wives can be buried in a National Cemetery, with their husbands. Underage children can be buried there, too. There are other qualifications as well.
After talking with Michael D. Brophy, Assistant Director of the Cemetery, our conversation turned to why Beaufort SC was chosen for a National Cemetery. He informed me Beaufort had one of the deepest harbors on the East Coast. This prompted President Abraham Lincoln to seize Beaufort early in the war to establish a Union base here in 1861. It would become the center of Union operations for the deep South for the remainder of the war. In 1863, Lincoln designated Beauford as a place for a National Cemetery to bury Union troops that died in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. More than 9,000 Union soldiers or veterans are buried here, 4,400 of them unknown, including 2,800 prisoners of war from the camp at Millen, GA. Seventeen hundred African-American soldiers are buried here. One hundred and seventeen Confederate soldiers are interred here, too, according to Cemetery information.
The uniqueness was in the volunteers that had gathered. Many were older Americans, husbands and wives, grandparents with grandchildren, and black, white, and Latinos, veterans, and folks like me who wanted to help.
Being an old newspaper man, I naturally like to talk with people. Over 200 participants gathered at 9 a.m. There was ample time to talk and visit as we Southerners like to do.
Row by row we went. Many used their arms to carry multiple wreaths, some veteran volunteers had brooms to drag a stack of wreaths, rakes turned upside down, even shower rods carried by two made the task at hand easier. The wreaths, now green, brown and weathered, were carried to the end of each row creating large piles. The Beaufort County Waste Disposal trucks were on hand to collect the piles.
One interesting older man and his wife traveled from Maine to take part in both placing and gathering the wreaths. His father was among the buried, near the back of the Cemetery. He said local companies volunteered their Semi-trucks and long haulers to ferry the wreaths from Maine to Beaufort. The wreaths came 8 to a box. The gentleman was not a veteran, but his wife was. “A much larger group of folks gathered to put the wreaths out. Every tombstone and marker had a wreath. It was so inspiring to see folks working together for a wonderful cause,” the wife said.
After finishing my morning, I found David Edwards a former Vietnam veteran near the entrance to the Cemetery. He thanked me for coming and participating. I,in turn, thanked him for his service. I learned he was the “Wreaths Across America” location leader for the Beaufort National Cemetery. Needless to say, he and his crew did an outstanding job paying tribute to our deceased veterans.
One last thing, it appears this year the Beaufort community over- purchased the number of wreaths needed. The extra money will be used to purchase wreaths in 2026.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if across America every deceased veteran had a wreath. Here is a “tip-of-the hat” to our local Emanuel County veterans for undertaking the “Wreaths Across America.” Thank them the next time you see one. It is an amazing and inspiring operation.
