Arlington Wreath Project

ON Point Magazine ^ | 11/25/07 | Tracy Leinberger-Leonardi

[concretebob]

On a cold December day, a crowd of more than 1,000 volunteers—from civilians and soldiers to toddlers and senior citizens—waits quietly, solemnly at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. In the distance they hear the low rumble of a tractor-trailer filled with 5,000 wreaths as it bursts through the morning’s dense fog making its way toward them. As the trailer comes to a stop, it marks the completion of a 750-mile journey from Harrington, Maine (pop. 882), to Arlington, where volunteers prepare to honor our nation’s departed heroes by adorning their graves with wreaths. The creator of the annual holiday tribute is Morrill Worcester, owner of the Worcester Wreath Co. in Harrington. In 1992, his company was constructing a second wreath factory and he knew from past experience that area artisans would stop by the construction site to offer their homemade wreaths for sale. Worcester thought he might need the extra wreaths, so he instructed his carpenters to buy any of the holiday ornaments that artisans brought by.

[woollyone]

wow

tear
.
.
.
.
~plop~

[oneamericanvoice]

Thanks for the info! Great! Sure wish it could be every military cemetery.

[VOA]

Sidebar:

The DVD listed below is highly recommended (at least by “VOA”).
Good to watch during Memorial Day.
EVEN IF PBS was involved in the documentary!

Seeing a group of noisy kids go silent with awe-filled eyes when they
see the silent sentries pacing off their steps...PRICELESS.
It also includes lots of details about (IIRC) “The Arlington Ladies”
that assist the bereaved relatives (often a lone spouse) and about the
dedication of the sentries.
(WARNING: Some viewers will be well-advised to keep tissues at hand)

National Geographic Specials: Arlington: Field of Honor DVD
http://www.shoppbs.org/sm-pbs-national-geographic-specials-arlington-field-of-honor-dvd—pi-1889887.html

[shove_it]

Too bad the Nat Geo cover photo is reversed (showing the soldier saluting with his left hand).

[VOA]

“(showing the soldier saluting with his left hand)”

Thanks for noting.
Well, I guess PBS had to have some sort of input as their name is
on the product!

Being a never-served-over-protected civilian, I hadn’t noticed
the gaffe.
There is a reason I include a boilerplate warning when I post a
recommendation for something with a PBS label on it!
When I do recommend something by PBS, I always figure it was done
when the politically-correct propaganda officers were
on vacation.

Seriously, it’s a excellent and respectful production otherwise.

[do the dhue]

ping

[molette67]

that is awesome love the pictures

[do the dhue]

I would love to see this too.

[flutters]

I just got this in an e-mail and knew it would be on FR. What a beautiful scene, it would be awesome to see all the wreaths in person.

[Tennessee_Bob]

BUMP

[RDTF]

any idea how to volunteer for this?

[concretebob]

They'll be doing it all over the country, info is at Wreaths Across America

As far as I know, all you have to do is show up and they'll put you to work.

[MissMagnolia]

I attended the wreath ceremony at the Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia, VA today. It was a cold, leaden gray sort of day, with the promise of a winter storm on the way. Just before the ceremony began, a 'V' of geese graced us with their version of a silent 'flyover'. The ceremony itself was short, but meaningful and six wreaths were placed at the flags near the entrance, one each for the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard & MIAs. Veterans placed the wreaths and it looked like ROTC kids served as escorts. Rolling Thunder had several members there. Perhaps in future years, there will be enough interest/participation for individual wreaths to be placed, but for now, there are only the ceremonial wreaths.

After the ceremony, folks scattered throughout the grounds to visit loved ones and friends. I go to the VVC often to visit one of my dearest friends who is there .... and I've become very fond of the place. The grounds themselves are beautiful and well-tended. There is a Gaelic blessing that says: Deep peace of the quiet earth to you, deep peace to you. For me, the VVC is 'quiet earth'.

[SandRat]

Just a little story; Squadron honors vets with wreaths http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1940281/posts