On a recent December day, the parents of a fallen Marine turned their grief into an outpouring of love for thousands of American heroes.John and Susan McColley, of North Carolina, hosted a Christmas wreath-laying ceremony at Quantico National Cemetery in Virginia.

They laid a wreath not only on the grave of their son, Sgt. Eric McColley, but also on the tombs of 2,000 other soldiers.

Eric McColley, 23, died when his helicopter crashed in Africa in 2006. He had already served in the Marines for five years, including a tour in Iraq, and planned to make it a career.The McColleys purchased the wreaths with money raised through the Sgt.