Those under 40 years of age probably have no memory of a time in the United States when veterans were largely ignored. The Vietnam War of the 1960s and early 1970s was terribly polarizing, and those who were veterans of that conflict found it best to avoid highlighting their involvement. This anti-military attitude in American society even impacted the ‘Greatest Generation’ folks, who saw their numbers dwindle in organizations such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
When the Islamic threat hit in the early 1990s, all this began to change slowly, and of course, the horrible September 11, 2001 tragedies was a systemic shift. With the possible exception of Israel, I doubt there is another country in the world that honors its veterans as much as the USA. Evidence of this can be seen in the revival of Memorial Day becoming more of a major holiday, and the simple gestures of having veterans stand and be honored at various events are signs of this trend.
And now there is a relatively new event on the calendar known as Wreaths Across America. Like so many American traditions, this started almost by accident. Morrill Worcester was the owner of the Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, Maine, and in 1992 he found himself with a surplus of wreaths. He remembered when, as a 12-year-old paper boy for the Bangor Daily News, he had won a trip to Washington, D.C. and what impressed him the most was Arlington National Cemetery. He thought, why not donate the surplus wreaths to honor the veterans there? He contacted Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, and she made arrangements for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the cemetery that had been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year.
Some other organizations in Maine picked up on this idea to help the Worcester family. It grew and grew each year, eventually even including a special ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. So it went for the next thirteen years until 2005. A photo of the stones at Arlington, adorned with wreaths and covered in snow, went viral on the internet. Overnight, the project received national attention.
The next two years overwhelmed the Worcesters, and they realized that the simple annual wreath-laying event they had been doing was bigger than Arlington and bigger than this one company. So, in 2007, the Worcester family, along with veterans, and other groups and individuals who had helped with their annual veterans’ wreath ceremony in Arlington, formed Wreaths Across America, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, to continue and expand this effort, and support other groups around the country who wanted to do the same. And expand they did; by 2010, over one million wreaths were being placed around the country.
It is now a national tradition and one that we have proudly seen here in Lycoming County at thirteen different cemeteries. I personally attended the one held at Fairview Cemetery in Montgomery and was honored to help place wreaths on the graves of my father and two brothers-in-law. It was my first experience of attending this event, and I was amazed that over a hundred people had come out on a cold winter day to participate in the ceremony by the local American Legion and then place the hundreds of wreaths that had been donated throughout the cemetery.
It might seem a bit premature to think about 2023 already, but it is never too early to begin to raise money for this very worthwhile endeavor. Those who do not want to miss this opportunity next year should contact the regional coordinator, Dori Rankinen, at darankinen@gmail.com or 570-772-2423. Dori deserves a LION article herself for her faithful work for this organization. She is fond of the quote, “A person dies twice. Once when their body takes its last breath and then again when there is no one left to say their name or tell their story.” Those who served our country in uniform deserve better.
