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Family members and volunteers took the time to lay wreaths on each grave at the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo on Saturday, Dec. 14 as part of National Wreaths Across America Day. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

MONTEVALLO – In a display of gratitude and solidarity, members of the community gathered together on Saturday, Dec. 14 to lay wreaths on the graves of veterans at the Alabama National Cemetery in recognition of National Wreaths Across America Day.

Before family members and volunteered offered their assistance with the wreath laying, participants gathered together for the 16th annual Wreath Laying Ceremony service at the ALNC in Montevallo at 11 a.m.

The ceremony began with a procession from the American Legion and Patriots Guard Riders and a flyover by the Patriot Flyers. WBRC Fox 6 News Anchor Janice Rogers served as the event’s master of ceremonies and welcomed those present to the event.

For Janice, the event was more than just a ceremony after previously losing her brother U.S. Marine Cpl. James Alvin Rogers who is now interred at the Alabama National Cemetery.

“It still gets to you, no matter how many years go by,” Janice said. “So, that’s why we cannot thank enough the people who serve and let us do what we do every day.”

During the ceremony, Thompson High School Air Force JROTC conducted the Presentation of Colors and the National Anthem was led by University of Montevallo music major Isaiah Coleman. Oak Mountain Boy Scout Troop 533 directed those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance.

“Today, we show national unity across the United States of America on this Wreaths (Across) America Day,” Janice said. “Ceremonies like this are happening all across our country at this very moment to remember the fallen, to honor those who serve and to… teach our children the value of freedom.”

At the Wreath Laying Ceremony, multiple ceremonial service wreaths were presented with each one laid by a service representative or a family member.

The ceremonial wreaths were presented by the following individuals at the ceremony:

• U.S. Army – Rhonda Phillips Reed, the daughter of TEC 5 George R. Phillips
• U.S. Marines – Deborah Livingston Leirer, the daughter of Sgt. Nelson Eugene “Gene” Livingston
• U.S. Navy – David Hamilton, the son of RDM2 David George Hamilton, Sr.
• U.S. Air Force – Mr. and Mrs. Ray Schultz, the parents of 2nd Lt. Gunnar Tahmaseb Schultz
• U.S. Space Force – Sgt. Alex Cautinho, cyber operations specialist
• U.S. Coast Guard – James “Jimmy” Haggerty, Jr., the son of BM1 James Alexander Haggerty
• U.S. Merchant Marines – Sandra Ivey McMahan, the daughter of William P. “Bill” Ivey
• POW/MIA – Herman Watkins, U.S. Navy veteran and administrative officer, ALNC

Emma Noble, the 2022 American Legion National Oratorical Contest winner and a current student at Mississippi State University, shared the stories of the service members named during the ceremony. Afterward, Shelby County High School student Ruth Turner joined Coleman for a touching musical tribute before U.S. Navy veteran Patrick McCaghren of Bugles Across America-Alabama delivered a performance of “Taps.”

Afterward, piper Donald Neil played “Amazing Grace” as hundreds of family members made their way to the gravesides of their loved ones to place wreathes in gratitude and respect.

“It was a beautiful, yet windy day for an outpouring of love and respect,” read an official post by the Support Committee for the Alabama National Cemetery. “We can never say thank you enough to all who participate.”

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