Hundreds of Utah men and women serving in the military won't be home for the holidays, many because they're serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

With that in mind, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. had a message for Utah residents before he placed a wreath Monday morning at the Vietnam memorial on the snowy west side of the state Capitol grounds.

"Knock on the door and visit the family of someone who has a loved one who is serving in the theater of combat, to give them a simple expression of love and to ask what it is you can do for them to make their life a little bit better as we near the end of the year," Huntsman said inside the Capitol rotunda.

Utah Department of Veterans Affairs executive director Terry Schow made the same plea.

"Please reach out to these family members and help them," Schow said at the Capitol event.

As the day's first snowflakes fell, Schow and Huntsman placed a wreath of pine boughs and ribbons at the foot of a statue depicting a soldier from the Vietnam War.

The wreath and ceremony are part of a nationwide program called Wreaths Across America. Similar ceremonies took place Monday in at least 39 states. As a result of the program, more than 100,000 wreaths during the past 16 years have been placed at graves and memorials in honor of veterans and their families. The wreaths are made and donated by Worcester Wreath Co. in Maine.

In Utah, uniformed veterans from the Coast Guard and the four main military branches took part in the ceremony at the Capitol. A lone bugle player performed taps after the wreath was placed.

Retired Marine Sgt. Dennis Howland, vice commander of the Utah Veterans of Foreign Wars, conducted Monday's ceremony in Utah. He said everyone should take a moment during the holidays and remember those who have fought for freedom.

"We thank those who gave their lives," Howland said. "We shall remember."

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com