SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — For families of fallen service members, the passage of time does not mean their loved ones are forgotten.
One local Gold Star mother says communities must continue to make an effort to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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Nan Cuchens, president of the Tallahassee chapter of American Gold Star Mothers of America, lost her son, LCpl Daniel B. Chaires, a Marine who was killed in Iraq in 2006.
“The years pass. It's been 20 years almost since Daniel was killed. Well, the families don't forget, but sometimes the communities forget,” Cuchens said.
A reason she believes traditions like Wreaths Across America help keep fallen service members' memories alive.
“The big thing is we don't want to forget any of them. That's it,” Cuchens said.
At Tallahassee National Cemetery, volunteers will place wreaths on graves and speak each service member's name during the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony.
Wayne Hooks, the local Wreaths Across America coordinator, said the cemetery has about 3,800 graves.
Organizers say they need roughly 1,800 more wreaths to honor every grave this year.
Hooks said organizers have never fallen short of their goal, but the need continues to grow as more veterans are laid to rest at the cemetery.
“Cemeteries don't ever get smaller; they only grow,” Hooks said. “We see anywhere between 200 and 400 burials a year.”
For Gold Star families, the effort to honor fallen service members is deeply personal.
Cuchens says families continue to show up because remembering their loved ones is a commitment that does not end.
“The Gold Star families always turn out. They always do. They don't have to be a part of an organization that says, ‘Hey, we should go do this.’ Within their heart, they know that it's the thing to,” Cuchens said.
The Wreaths Across America ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 19 at Tallahassee National Cemetery.
Hooks says the deadline to order wreaths is Dec. 2, allowing time for them to be prepared and shipped fresh for the ceremony.
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