TAMPA - Remembering the fallen and teaching the next generation about their sacrifice has been the goal of Wreaths Across America since the nonprofit was founded in 2007.

Saturday, Veterans Counseling Veterans (VCV) honored fallen soldiers of four major wars, including the Civil War, World Wars I & II and the Korean War.

These are all wars that were fought during segregation, and often Black Veterans were buried without a marker.

Despite that, VCV laid wreaths in their honor.

“When you came home as a segregated country, you could only go to the black cemetery, and the cemeteries are so small that you couldn’t fit in there. Because of that, they would put five to six of them in one slot or one gravesite with no marker,” said VCV CEO Ellsworth Williams.

As a result, he says many fallen Black veterans did not receive the proper recognition they deserved. 

In 1948, President Harry Truman issued an executive order to desegregate the armed forces. That opened the door for the first African-American to graduate from the Naval Academy, retired Rear Admiral Larry Chambers.

“Without that desegregation order, I probably couldn’t have gotten into the Naval Academy,” Chambers said.

Despite the era, the 93-year-old recalls the camaraderie while in service.

“Your life depended on the man next to you. Skin color was not a concern in the trenches,” Chambers added.

Today he travels the country educating younger generations about his 35 years in the Navy, and the importance of honoring those who served.

“This is about honoring all the fallen heroes,” he said. “It’s not just minorities, and it’s a good thing.”

Dozens gathered at Tampa’s Memorial Park Cemetery to lay wreaths for Black Veterans who died during segregation. Each wreath represented wars fought between 1861 and 1953.

“We always say in the Military; ‘Never forgotten, leave no person behind, no man or woman behind,’” added Williams.

It’s a tradition he hopes will continue outside of the annual Wreaths Across America celebration.