Maine Wreath Company Helps Decorate Veterans’s Tombstones

Maine wreath company helps decorate veterans’s tombstones
by Donna Teresa

A simple wreath has been used for different occasions with special significance. In ancient Rome, wreaths were placed on doors to symbolize a victory from a war. They have been used in craft and decoration, celebration and in sorrow. However, I have discovered there is one wreath, unlike all the others, created from one man’s vision that represents a deeper meaning.

Morrill and Karen Worcester are owners of the Worcester Wreath Company, a wholesaler of balsam products since 1971. Their company produces fresh wreaths, trees and centerpieces from Maine.

In 1992, Morrill Worcester started the “Arlington National Cemetery Project,” which has expanded to what is now, the “Wreaths Across America Project” www.wreathsacrossamerica.com, a dream of Worcester’s to honor veterans at over 230 state and national cemeteries across America. Every year, Worcester’s company, with the help of volunteers, decorates the headstones of over 5,000 fallen heroes every year with a Christmas wreath.

What inspires someone to do this grand project? According to Worcester, the idea came from families who had loved ones buried in other national cemeteries…

“They loved what was happening at Arlington and wished they could some how participate. We couldn’t cover every grave, but we cover every cemetery. The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) from our area was happy to work with us. People just started pitching in. The United Parcel Service (UPS) donated shipping, boxes were donated. Our team currently consists of some veterans, CAP members, a schoolteacher and Web site person. Our mission is to ‘Remember, Honor, and Teach'” says Worcester.

The feedback Morrill receives is just as touching and heartwarming, “We received so many letters and e-mails, a lot come from active military and their families, veterans from all ages. We get a ton of pictures along with stories from war buddy reunions. We also get pictures of young men who have died in the current war conflict, with words of thanks from their families. We’ve gone to Arlington for years, but this year it seems so personal. I wish everyone could see these e-mails. You’d never take one day of freedom for granted.”

It should be obvious to America why it is important to remember our veterans, but somehow with everybody carrying on with their busy lives, veterans are not always on the minds of Americans. Thanks to the Worcester family, veterans are never forgotten.

“A year ago I would have said it’s important to remember the fallen, honor our active military and veterans. Teach everyone who’ll listen about the cost of freedom. These people sacrifice so much, so many have lost their lives. They have a desire to share what they know, so that we won’t forget them. There are young men and women who are willing to do this difficult job instead of us. As the holiday approaches, we are free to celebrate in any religion. We need to thank these amazing people for that freedom.”

If your state or national cemetery doesn’t have a wreath program, it’s time it did, because, as Morrill Worcester says, “as a whole, I know we are a grateful country, but we just need to show it more often.”

I couldn’t agree with him more.