HOLLY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Volunteers placed two million wreaths on headstones at military cemeteries across the country on Saturday as part of “Wreaths Across America.” In Michigan, 1,700 volunteers spent their Saturday at the Great Lakes National Cemetery to be part of the tradition.

Each December, wreath laying ceremonies take place at Arlington National Cemetery and more than 3,400 additional locations across the country, at sea, and abroad. The event remembers veterans from the Revolutionary War to present day conflicts.

According to organizers, volunteers placed more than 19,000 wreaths at Great Lakes National Cemetery, which was more than twice the amount of the 8,000 they placed last year.

This tradition started in 1992 when a wreath company in Maine had a surplus of wreaths near the end of the holiday season.