Wreaths Across America is a holiday tradition

CVAC member NJ Health's Director of Public Relations and Volunteer Services Margie Barham, is shown here placing wreaths on veterans' graves.  

NJ Health Hospice and Palliative Care joined other members of CVAC (Community/ Veterans Advisory Committee) at Cape May County Veterans Cemetery this past Saturday for the annual Wreaths Across America.  CVAC member NJ Health's Director of Public Relations and Volunteer Services Margie Barham, is shown here placing wreaths on veterans' graves.  

Many support this annual event but may not know the history. According to the Wreaths Across America website the tradition began when Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, was a 12-year-old paper boy when he won a trip to Washington D.C. It was his first to our nation’s capital and one that would change the trajectory of his life and the lives of millions of others across the country. Seeing the hundreds of thousands of graves and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery made an especially indelible impression on him. It was to be an experience that would follow him throughout his life and successful career, reminding him that his good fortune was due, in large part, to the values of his nation and the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

In 1992, Worcester Wreath found themselves with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season. Remembering his boyhood experience at Arlington, Worcester realized he had an opportunity to honor our country’s veterans. With the aid of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe (ret), arrangements were made for the surplus wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older cemetery sections that had been receiving fewer visitors each passing year.

As plans were underway to transport the wreaths to Washington, a number of other individuals and organizations stepped up to help. James Prout, owner of local trucking company Blue Bird Ranch, Inc., generously provided transportation all the way to Virginia. Volunteers from the local American Legion and VFW Posts gathered with members of the community to decorate each wreath with traditional red, hand-tied bows. Members of the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C., helped to organize the wreath-laying, which included a special ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

NJ Health Hospice and Palliative Care is a proud member of CVAC and supports veteran initiatives throughout South Jersey.

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