Wreath convoy to depart for Arlington National Cemetery
12/5/08 | 12 comments

Wreath convoy to depart for Arlington National Cemetery


By Bill Trotter
BDN Staff

HARRINGTON, Maine — An annual convoy of trucks carrying wreaths made by a local company is scheduled to depart for Arlington National Cemetery at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 7.

Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Co., said this week that the approximately 105,000 wreaths his firm will ship out this year could be a record.

The Wreaths Across America project, in which Worcester’s company and other organizations transport and then place wreaths at Arlington and other veterans’ memorials around the country, expects to have 25 trucks on the road to make sure all the wreaths reach their destinations by the end of next week.

Worcester said that this year, in addition to Arlington, the project is shipping wreaths to 354 cemeteries and monuments nationwide and to 24 more sites overseas, including four in Iraq. He said Wreaths Across America has approached the Navy about conducting wreath ceremonies at sea around the globe, but has yet to confirm that the ship ceremonies will take place.

The truck convoy, escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders and Maine State Police troopers, will make several stops along the way, including at a rally at 11:30 a.m. at Bangor Auditorium on the day of the departure. The convoy also will stop at the Augusta Armory, in downtown Lewiston, and at the Portland Exposition Building before heading out of state to other appearances along the way, Worcester said.

“It’s 34 stops, I believe,” he said. “We leave on Sunday and arrive [at Arlington] on Saturday.”

Worcester Wreath is donating 18,000 wreaths to the effort, according to Worcester. The rest are being paid for by donors to Wreaths Across America, he said, which is enlisting the help of more than 600 groups to help transport and lay the wreaths nationwide.

He said thousands are expected to attend the ceremony at Arlington, which will take place at noon Saturday, Dec. 13. He said ceremonies at other cemeteries and memorial sites across the country are scheduled to take place at the same approximate time.

Though the volunteer memorial effort seems to get bigger every year, the mission has been the same since wreaths first were laid at Arlington in 1992, Worcester said. It is to remember the fallen, to honor those who serve in the military, and to teach children the value of their service.

“We’ve been fortunate to have what we have, all because of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Worcester said.

Wal-Mart this year is donating the use of six trucks to complement those donated to the cause by Hartt Transportation and Pottle’s Transportation. The Civil Air Patrol, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the Maine State Society in Washington, D.C., are all among the partners in the effort.

Worcester said some trucks will leave early in order to make it to the West Coast in time for the Dec. 13 ceremonies, but he expects about 100 people to witness the send-off in Harrington.

“It will be quite a group when we leave here,” Worcester said.

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Comments
12 comments on this item
On 12/5/08 at 6:27 AM, safedman wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

God Bless the Owner of this wonderful company and God Bless the Riders as they travel south.

Safe Journey my friends.

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On 12/5/08 at 9:20 AM, kylie00 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I was really nice of all those illegal workers he hires to make these wreaths, of the 105,000 only 18000 were donated and the rest were purchased.

Maybe it could be better if he would employ americans to make the wreaths for the soldiers

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On 12/5/08 at 10:40 AM, skyhawk wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Always someone to bitch about things when someone does something good. Get on the bright side of life kylie00. What have you done for the ones that gave so much ?? Don't go through live on the neg. side.

Thank YOU ALL for doing this for the ones that died so we can live FREE!! AND MAY God bless you all. From a 100% disabled vet from the Korean war.

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On 12/5/08 at 11:44 AM, jenstone143 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Special thanks to those that make this possible! I'll see you on 13 December at Arlington where The Maine State Society will be laying wreaths.

Skyhawk, thank you for your service!

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On 12/5/08 at 11:46 AM, kylie00 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I also have served this country and have donated time and money to several different veteran organizations. this wreath company is not the saint the paper portrays.

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On 12/5/08 at 12:42 PM, ralphmcdevitts wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

kylie00, you've had a hair across your a$$ for the Wocesters for a long time. Let it go.

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On 12/5/08 at 2:12 PM, meadowlands wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

iI is important to remember and to acknowledge our fallen soldiers despite differences of opinion/ideologies on the current war (s). I cannot speak to the actual number of donated vs. purchased wreaths for this wonderful program. I cannot see why other wreath manufacturers from Downeast who contribute to this venture are NOT also included. It is j NOT ONLY Worcester Wreath Company. How about some mention of these other wonderful contributors? Is it true that illegals are used to manufacture wreaths here in Washington County?

I can say that I did read in THE BANGOR DAILY NEWS that Worcester Wreath Co. was recently caught and fined for ecologically unsound practices, violations to dumping and disgourging into our waterways...There is more to this company than just the news item regarding the wreaths to veteran's cemeteries.

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On 12/5/08 at 2:45 PM, jenstone143 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Well if your going to disparage him then make sure you get all the other companies in Maine that use illegals & have been fined for their safety & environmental practices. The point is that you don't need to appreciate the company but what this company is doing is admirable. Address the BDN for their failure to provide the names of other companies that have donated wreaths... Mr. Worcester didn't write the article.

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On 12/5/08 at 3:36 PM, LincolnMOM wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Worcester Wreath Co owns several comapnies and they have had several dishonest problems from their logging practices to banking problems, illegal aliens problems, illegal dumping to name a few. I know a few people who have had many problems with Mr. Worcester and when you are a business man sometimes it is inevitable. I personally know a man who worked for him at one time and was treated with much disrepect, even given 3 paychecks that bounced, 3 weeks in a row. Mr. Worcester choses to give year after year...and even though he may not be the "Perfect" businessman..I still think it is a nice thoughtful gesture.

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On 12/5/08 at 6:58 PM, Kevin_of_Bangor wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Some of you are pretty damn petty. There are a lot of other people that make this happen but some of you asshats cry like a little kid that doesn't get their way on the playground so you take your ball and go home.

What ever happened to it's the thought that counts? I doubt that those that have loved ones buried there place much thought into where the wreaths came from and neither should any of you.

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On 12/6/08 at 4:34 AM, clamchowdah wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Many thanks to ALL who donate wreaths in honor of our fallen veterans. Many thanks to all the volunteers that decorate these wreaths for shipment and to the truckers who deliver them. This is not about one company but about many people who volunteer their time to make this happen. I volunteered for 4 years before I moved at Worcester Wreath to help decorate these wreaths and the pleasure was mine as well as all the others in knowing we was doing something that would make others happy.

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On 12/6/08 at 11:26 PM, Knightscross wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

You got to love all those Illegal Alien workers in the wreath factories making wreaths for Arlington. It looks good, pay the Illegals crap and make a ton of money.

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