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SK Mr Peter D Skinder is the Event Chairman for this event
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Co-Chair: SK Peter A Stresino
Map of Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery
REMEMBER the Fallen. . . HONOR those who Serve. . . TEACH our children the value of Freedom.
Please join your fellow knights, family and friends as during the holiday season we pay honor to our veterans who served our country to protect our freedoms. Wreaths Across America provides wreaths to deceased veterans at more than 3,400 cemeteries across the country each year in order to remember their service, honor their sacrifice and to teach all the value of freedom. Each wreath placed is a personal gift to an American Hero.
We will be participating in the Wreaths Across America event on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois. The cemetery is located at 20953 W. Hoff Rd, Elwood, IL 60421. The ceremonies at the cemetery will begin at 11AM at the Flag Pole Assembly Area as located on the enclosed map. The event is entirely open to the public and it is recommended that if you are attending the event to be there close to an hour before the ceremonies begin. There is only parking at the cemetery for Handicapped persons. In order to get to the cemetery volunteers are to park at one of the shuttle bus locations that will take us to and from the cemetery. The off site parking locations are Allied Landscaping 3197 S. Chicago St. Joliet, IL 60436 AND Bissell 20200 Ira Morgan St, Elwood IL 60421. The buses start at 8:30AM and the last shuttle bus to the cemetery will leave each location at 10:30AM.
The event is held rain or shine and involves a good amount of walking, so prepare for the elements. Also it is recommended that one uses work gloves when placing the wreaths to avoid damage to normal gloves and protect yourself from the fresh pine needles. I will stress that this is NOT an honor guard or uniform event, so do not be discouraged to attend.
Indicated on the map is a Flag Pole Assembly Area, nearby and behind the area is a statue of Abraham Lincoln. This statue will be our group rally point where we will form and then move to an appropriate viewing area for the ceremonies. Wreath laying will be after the ceremony concludes. Wreaths will be located by each numbered section and some will have a specific grave designation.
Placing of wreaths is a simple process which involves keeping the veterans legacy alive. It is said that people die twice, once while they are living, and again when they are no longer remembered. Carry the wreath to the headstone, say the veterans name out loud, place the wreath and then a small short prayer or thank you. The volunteer time period of placing wreaths will not be long. Being that the event is completely open to the public it only lasts a few hours. Many hands make light work and a few hours of your time is worth our gift of freedom.
There is also a list of veterans interred at the cemetery that are known by members of the Bishop Sheil Assembly. This list will be made available at the event so that we can personally make sure these veterans are remembered this holiday season. If you know of a veteran there please contact Peter Skinder at pskind@comcast.net can keep the list updated. A name of the veteran or their deceased spouse is all that is needed.
If you can not make it to the ceremony but wish to make a donation to Wreaths Across America, please go to wreathsacrossamerica.org where you can purchase wreaths for cemeteries across the nation. Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery is always in need of more donated wreaths. As of December 5th the cemetery has 23,699 wreaths sponsored which is 35.9% of their goal, leaving 42,301 to go. Since the cemetery's founding in 1999, it is the second largest cemetery in the United States and the third largest in the world.
Thank you for volunteering for this event and making a contribution. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Since becoming the event chairman, this has become one of my favorite things to do during the Christmas/Advent Season. Being the son and grandson of veterans, I will always remember the sacrifice of those who serve our country. “All gave some, some gave all.”
SK Peter Skinder
Past Grand Knight Council #6964
Past Faithful Navigator #2330