COLUMBUS, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine honored the nation’s fallen service members during a wreath laying ceremony Monday.
The ceremony comes ahead of National Wreaths Across America Day, which takes place this Saturday. The day is held to not only honor service members killed in the line of duty, but to acknowledge those who have served our country.
Brittnay McCall knows firsthand the feeling of loss. Her husband, Daniel McCall, was killed while serving in Iraq in 2007. Brittany now works as a survivor outreach coordinator, supporting families who have suffered a similar loss.
During Monday's ceremony, Brittnay acknowledged recent events including the COVID-19 pandemic, attacks in Afghanistan and this past weekend’s deadly tornadoes that ripped through the Midwest as some reasons for why, right now, holding onto hope can be particularly difficult.
“But what we fail to see is that these life events all make it that much more important to find hope, and to keep hope,” Brittnay said.
Brittnay said, through it all, she is grateful for the life she now leads and what it has taught her.
"We thank all those who have served our country," Gov. DeWine said. "We are grateful, Ohio is grateful, and we remember them."
The Ohio Statehouse is one of more than 2,500 locations across the country hosting a remembrance ceremony this week. To learn more about Wreaths Across America, click here.
You can watch in the player below: