Wreaths Across America

Morrill Worcester received little attention when his company Worcester Wreath Company requested permission to deliver 5000 wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery 1992.

The idea of was to honor our country's fallen servicemembers by laying the Christmas wreaths a the base of headstones in Arlington. A tradition that was repeated annually with little notice.

Then in 2005 Worcester received nationwide attention after a photo of a snow covered Arlington Cemetery decorated with wreaths started circulating via email. Some people even thought the photo was a fake.


A volunteer carries wreaths during Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery, Dec. 11, 2010. More than 7,000 volunteers placed 24,000 wreaths on the headstones of fallen servicemembers. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jared Forsyth

On Saturday 24,000 wreaths were placed at Arlington National Cemetery by volunteers, as this act of remembrance was repeated across the country and overseas at more than 500 locations.

One man's thoughtful gesture, a single photo, and someone with enough sense at Arlington National Cementary to think outside the box and say "OK" has become a national event of amazing protortions. Just think if that person said I don't think we can to that, or its against the rules.

The non-profit group Wreaths Across America was officially established by the Worcester Family in 2007. You can read more about the Arlington story here.