Saturday morning, thousands of wreaths were laid at the resting place of veterans across the country.
The ceremonies did not just take place at the nations’ biggest cemeteries, but at the smaller ones too.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Cemetery in Peralta participated in the ceremony for the first time, where a New Mexico family fondly remembered their grandfather.
Cynthia Gutierrez, Desiree Gallegos and Aislinn Gallegos all remember their grandfather’s stories.
“He was awesome, he had a lot of stories for us growing up,” said Desiree Gallegos about her grandfather.
Carlos Gutierrez, a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient, died nearly a year ago.
Saturday morning, the three women gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Cemetery to pick up a wreath and take it to their beloved grandfather’s grave site across the state.
“He’s actually in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. That’s where we’re taking his wreath,” said Desiree.
While Gutierrez may be elsewhere, the small Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 100 veterans.
Each of them is receiving a wreath, some of those wreaths donated while others were purchased by the veterans family members.
Fourteen thousand cemeteries across the country participated in the ceremony.
Our Lady of Guadalupe was one of ten in New Mexico to participate this year.
