Posted on 12/12/2006 11:37:30 AM PST by CoastieMike
Edited on 12/12/2006 11:40:04 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
"I got on the CB and said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, you're not going to believe this,' " said John O'Leary, 54, of Norway.
O'Leary is a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, a veterans group aiding a Mainer's effort to recognize fallen service members that will go nationwide Thursday, when volunteers lay wreaths at graves and veterans' monuments at Arlington and across the country.
This is the 15th year Worcester Wreath Co. President Morrill Worcester has delivered thousands of his company's wreaths to Arlington.
The tradition had humble beginnings. It was launched in 1992, when Worcester's company had an excess of wreaths at its Topsfield warehouse, too late to sell them all for the holidays. Worcester decided to truck the extra inventory to Arlington, a place he had visited as a teenager, as a gesture of patriotism.
He decided to make it an annual move to spruce up Arlington before the holidays. This year, the tradition went national with the help of the Civil Air Patrol, and ceremonies are planned across the country.
Worcester even changed his route to Arlington from Maine to accommodate the extra attention. He once hauled the wreaths south on the interstate. Now, he and the Patriot Guard Riders are hauling their donations down Route 1, making what was once a 14-hour trip a 312-day journey.
The wreaths are scheduled to arrive at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday. They will be placed in designated sections of the cemetery as well as at the grave of Former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie, at the Kennedy family memorial and at the mast of the USS Maine.
At noon, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and at 50 coordinated observances around the country.
Annin & Co., a New Jersey-based flag maker, has donated some 3,000 small flags - stars and stripes along with banners for each military branch and the POW/MIAs -- for the Wreaths Around America memorials. UPS has agreed to ship the 250 boxes of wreaths to locations all over the country at no charge. On Sunday, the wreath crew trekked from Harrington to Freeport. Supporters dotted the streets and watched police cruisers and fire engines escort the caravan southward on Route 1. News crews, including several from national programs, filmed the scene. "The more attention it gets, the more attention the veterans get," Worcester said. O'Leary and fellow Patriot Guard Riders member Joe Pepin, 58, of Mount Chase escorted Worcester and his tractor-trailer in a pair of pickup trucks the length of the route. They said they planned to stay on until today, when other members of the Patriot Guard Riders take over the escort in Portsmouth, N.H. Pepin, finishing up a meal Sunday night in Freeport, said the idea is to keep America thinking about its veterans. "It's an honor to do this," he said.
Staff Writer Elbert Aull can be contacted at 791-6325 or at:eaull@pressherald.com
The convoy can be tracked in real time at http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.com
There was a big story on this last week in the Washington Post; I think this is wonderful. The Post story said that people have sent him contributions over the years, and he always returns the money.
You can bet that we make a point of buying his wreaths! :)
The way things are going these days I almost expect the ACLU to try and stop this practice because somebody is offended by the use of evergreens to pay religious homage to the ignorant soldiers who couldnt do anything in life except join the service.
Ping!
Probably should have read "3 -1/2 day journey."
Thanks for the ping. Heartwarming!
Wreath BUMP!
This is an annual event. I think you can volunteer to help.
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