Wesley Chapel resident led effort to place 20,000 wreaths at Florida National Cemetery

Back in December 2006, Wesley Chapel resident Randy Lewer and a couple of his buddies from the U.S. Military Vets Motorcycle Club held a small ceremony at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell to remember the veterans buried there during the holidays. Randy says just a few people gathered in the rain that day for a brief ceremony.

The group had been provided with seven ceremonial wreaths (honoring the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, POWs {Prisoners of War}/MIA {Missing In Action}and Merchant Marines), which were donated from the organizer of an effort to lay wreaths on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. That effort has since grown into what is now called “Wreaths Across America” and helps to adorn graves at about 1,500 military cemeteries throughout the U.S.

While Wreaths Across America has grown nationwide, Randy’s efforts at Florida National Cemetery (which is located in Sumter County, northeast of Brooksville), have flourished into one of the largest in the country.

Last year, Randy estimates that 8,000-10,000 people came out to the Florida National Cemetery, where 21,600 wreaths were laid on the graves of those buried there. While there are more than 100,000 U.S. military veterans and 30,000 spouses buried at the cemetery, he says the number of graves adorned with the wreaths is determined by how much fund-raising is done.

Randy is one of the Wreaths Across America organizers who work nearly year-round to raise funds to purchase the wreaths. Many local organizations and community groups, such as the Boy and Cub Scouts, Civil Air Patrol, and even companies, ask friends, family and neighbors to sponsor the wreaths for $15 each.

 “Wreaths Across America” was held on Saturday, December 16, Randy was expecting to place at least 21,200 wreaths.

Randy’s focus is not on the number of wreaths, though. He says every veteran in the cemetery is honored and remembered. He says his focus is on Wreaths Across America’s mission, which is to, “Remember our fallen U.S. veterans, honor those who serve and teach your children the value of freedom.”

“That’s probably the biggest thing for me,” says Randy, “teaching our kids the values of freedom, respect and patriotism.”

He says the best time to do this is when there starts to be a “lack of thought,” as he calls it, when people start to forget about the sacrifices of our country’s veterans.

“Around Christmas you get so busy, sometimes the only people who think about our fallen veterans are the families who recently lost someone,” Randy says. “This is one way to get out there and look at a grave and say, ‘Thank you for your service.’”

One of Randy’s two “brothers” from the motorcycle club who originally started the wreath ceremony at Florida National Cemetery has moved on and no longer organizes the event. The other, Jack Sellers — known as “Breakdown” — passed away a few years ago after an illness associated with exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. 

“He used to emcee the ceremony,” says Randy. “When we buried him, I asked to have him buried in the section across the street from the ceremony area. They put him in the front row, so he’s always looking at the ceremony.”

Randy hopes the event is a reminder to everyone to remember what is important in an era of disagreement.

“The way this world’s gotten, things are so divisive,” says Randy. “It’s nice to have 10,000 people come together and not be divided. We can all be behind one thing – to remember, honor and teach.”

For additional information about Wreaths Across America, visit WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.