Volunteers returned to Fernley's veterans memorial cemetery on Saturday to help clean up after Wreaths Across America.

At about 8:30 a.m., volunteers from the Fernley community and surrounding areas came to the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery to pick up the wreaths laid on each headstone in December.

About an hour later, all of the wreaths were in a dumpster, ready to be taken to local farms.

Volunteers laid the wreaths on December 13 as part of a local Wreaths Across America celebration. Their quick work to pick them up a month later is just a small token of how much Northern Nevada appreciates their veterans.

"It's very, very important that we honor our vets," said Dale Schneeberger, a member of the Nevada Veterans Coalition.

Schneeberger said he moved to Fernley from Los Angeles about three years ago. He joined the Coalition a year ago as a way to give back to his father, who's interred at Fort Rosecrans in San Diego.

"They did a full military honor for him and that really spoke to my heart," he said. "It really honored him."

Bradley Wadsworth and the other Boy Scouts in his troop were among dozens of volunteers at the cleanup. For him, he said events like this remind him of an Army vet close to him.

"My grandpa is actually a veteran, too," Wadsworth said. "So [this event] makes me think about him and think about how it impacts people like him."

Local veterans also joined in on the cleanup, including one who served in the Navy for 28 years.

"I was in high school watching the draft, and I just missed getting drafted. Then I went to college for about a year and decided I wanted to join," said Bill Brehler.

Brehler says he spent most 22 of his 28 Navy years in the submarine service. Now, he's making sure other veterans' sacrifices won't be forgotten. He said he hopes future generations will replicate his efforts.

"Keep our traditions going to honor our military," he said. "It's important to have a good, strong military. Bring your kids up so they appreciate what the military's about."

The over 8,600 wreaths collected at the cemetery will be recycled and fed to goats at local farms.

If you'd like to learn more about the Nevada Veterans Coalition and how you can support Northern Nevada veterans every day of the year, click here.