WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – Christmas wreaths are getting their annual escort this week after heading out on their 750-mile+ journey to the Arlington National Cemetery. The program Wreaths Across America (WAA) filled trucks with veterans’ wreaths that will pass through dozens of communities in a trip that started on December 10th in Harrington, Maine.

Along the way, thousands of supporters will sponsor even more veterans wreaths as an expression of thanks for those who sacrificed for our country. Also along the way, thousands of Americans will be lining the streets in what the organization calls “our nation’s most beautiful expressions of respect and remembrance for our heroes.”

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The mission of the organization is to remember the fallen and honor those who serve and teach the next generation the value of freedom.

In order to fulfill that mission, wreaths will be placed on the gravesites of veterans at Arlington National Cemetery this Saturday and more will be laid at cemeteries across the country over the weekend at more than 4,000 participating locations. The organization’s website says that more than two million volunteers will be supporting the mission at local, state and national cemeteries in all 50 states, at sea and abroad.

Wreaths Across America Day is Saturday, December 16th. It is a free event and open to all people. In Michigan, the yearly event will once again have a ceremony at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly. Another commemoration will be held in Cadillac at the Maple Hill Cemetery. And there will be many more, with at least three Macomb county cemeteries being among the 3,700 locations expected to participate in the WAA program around noon on Saturday according to Macomb Daily.

Susan Gough of Sterling Heights talked to Macomb Daily about her involvement with the organization and said about the wreath event, “It’s special that the families have that – that their loved one is being honored. It means a lot to the family.”

Wreaths Across America’s motto is “Remember, Honor, Teach” and this year’s theme is “Serve and Succeed.” According to the website, the inspiration for this year’s theme came while discussing the significance of 2022’s theme, which was “Find a Way to Serve,” and the need to continue to stress the importance of service and the positive ways it can impact lives. In 2023, Wreaths Across America decided to focus on the storylines of veterans and military families who have found success through their own service, while also highlighting local volunteers across the country and the success that comes from serving their communities.

Karen Worcester, Executive Director of WAA says, “There are many ways to serve your community and country, and just as many definitions of success. We hope through focusing on those stories of success we will help change the dialogue around what it means to serve your country.”

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The tradition of placing wreaths on the gravesites of veterans started in 1992 by Morrill Worcester. As a 12-year-old boy, Worcester won a trip to Washington DC and visited the Arlington National Cemetery. It made a huge impression on him, and he remembered the sacrifices that the soldiers made for him and the country. In 1992, his company, Worcester Wreath, had a surplus of wreaths at the end of the holiday season and with the hello of Maine Senator Olympia Snow, he had wreaths placed in one of the older sections of the cemetery that wasn’t seeing many visitors.

Other groups stepped up to help Worcester including a trucking company to transport the wreaths and volunteers from VFW posts and the local American Legion to decorate the wreaths. Members of the Maine State Society of Washington DC helped organize the wreath-laying and the special ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony became a yearly event which went mostly unnoticed until 2005 when a photo of one of the wreaths at the cemetery circulated around the internet. Since then, millions of people have become involved with the program including many who have wanted similar events in their own local cemeteries. As the event grew larger, the Worcester family along with veterans and other individuals and groups, formed the non-profit organization Wreaths Across America.

In 2022, volunteers placed more than 2.7 million veterans’ wreaths on headstones at 3,702 participating locations around the country in honor of the service and sacrifices made for our freedoms, with each name said out loud. Wreaths Across America volunteers work year-round to ensure military laid to rest are remembered, their families and living veterans are honored, and the next generation is taught about the value of freedom.

To find a Wreaths Across America ceremony near you, click on this link or Google “Wreaths Across America” along with the name of your city or state.