BY DONNA SWICEGOOD
When he moved to Statesville 10 years ago, James Poston was told his new home was a welcoming place for veterans.
“I was told Statesville loves veterans,” Poston, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, said Saturday. “It’s true. Statesville loves veterans.”
Poston, who works at Home Depot, joined about two dozen others who demonstrated their love for veterans at the Wreaths Across America ceremony at Oakwood Cemetery.
Home Depot is one of the sponsors for the program, said Pastor Kenny Wallace, location coordinator for Statesville’s event. Nicholson Funeral Home, Fort Dobbs Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Scout Troop 373 were also sponsors.
Deno Williams, public grounds and cemetery supervisor for the City of Statesville, was also a tremendous help, Wallace said.
Wreaths Across America began in the early 1990s when a wreath company found itself with a surplus nearing the end of the holiday season. Morrill Worchester, owner of the wreath company, remembered his experiences as a 12-year-old visiting Washington, D.C. He remembered the graves at Arlington National Cemetery, and enlisted the aid of Maine Sen. Olympia Stowe for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington.
The second Saturday in December was designated to observe
Wreaths Across America events are now held across the country on the second Saturday of December each year.
“We’re here not to decorate the graves, guys,” Wallace said. “We’re here to remember not their deaths but the life they lived when they came back. Some had good lives and some didn’t have such good lives. They all brought baggage back when they came back. A lot of our veterans do not get the respect they need.”
Wallace said Saturday’s ceremony offered a chance to pay respect.
Some 88 wreaths were distributed at Oakwood and four, paid for by Nicholson Funeral Home, were to be placed at Belmont Cemetery.
As the ceremony began, the Iredell County Veterans Council Honor Guard presented a 21-gun salute. Then volunteers placed a wreath for each branch of service at the Veterans Monument with Wallace placing one on a stand in recognition of those missing in action.
Then the wreaths were given out to be placed on the graves of veterans. As each was placed, the person placing the wreath said the name of the veteran and years of service and/or birth date and date of death.
Wallace said he hopes this service will continue to grow and be able to include more than the four wreaths at Belmont.
He plans to work throughout 2026 to make that happen, and asked that anyone interested in helping in any capacity to contact him at 704-253-2577 or wallacekenneth51@gmail.com.
One person he won’t have to wait to hear from is Poston.
“This was my first time out here, but it’s not going to be my last,” he said.
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