SAN ANTONIO — In Military City U.S.A no hero goes forgotten.
On Dec. 18, Wreaths Across America will lay remembrance wreaths on the graves at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
Tucked in between thousands of his brothers and sisters is Jim Carlile. His wife, Judy, said her husband served for 23 years in the Air Force.
Jim was the most amazing, incredible loving person that you ever met,” Judy said. “He served his country with all of his heart with the greatest of pride.”
At the young age of 53, Jim was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He died five years later.
“We were very, very honored to be able to lay him to rest here at Fort Sam,” Judy said.
Jim is the reason Judy first stepped foot in this cemetery, yet his headstone isn’t the only one she visits.
Jim passed in 2008. In 2009, Judy took on her family’s next mission by joining Wreaths Across America.
“It's not just about Jim. It's about every single person that is laid to rest beside him in front of and behind him,” Judy said. “And it's my goal to be able to lay a wreath on every headstone at Fort Sam.”
For Christmas, volunteers lay wreaths and say the name of each veteran aloud. Judy said this keeps their memory alive.
“These folks, they die twice when they take their last breath and when their name is never spoken again,” Judy said. “We can’t let that happen.”
For more than a decade, Judy has kept their stories going with the same level of care she shows toward her own husband.
“He loved God and country and took wonderful care of his family,” Judy said. “We were everything to him. He worshiped his kids and they worshiped the ground that their daddy walked on.”
Joining the Armed Forces is a selfless act of service. Many don’t do it for a ‘thank you’ but Judy said that’s what every veteran gets with each wreath.
“You lean down and lay that wreath on the headstone and you stand back and say, thank you,” Judy said. “And there's nothing in this world, it's more precious than to thank someone for your freedom because that's what they've done.”
There are more than 167,000 headstones at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. The cost to sponsor a remembrance wreath is $15. If you’d like to help, click here.