Christmas Cheer - Day Fifteen

To be killed in war is not the worst that can happen. To be lost is not the worst that can happen... to be forgotten is the worst." -Pierre Claeyssens (1909-2003).

This is a few days late, but still worthy of a Christmas Cheer post. December 10, 2011 was "Wreaths Across America Day". The mission of WreathsAcrossAmerica.org is to "Remember, Honor, Teach" and it "is carried out in part by coordinating wreath laying ceremonies on the second Saturday of December at Arlington, as well as veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond."

The story behind the organization starts with one man - Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine. Who "was a 12 year old paper boy for the Bangor Daily News when he won a trip to Washington D.C. His first trip to our nation’s capital was one he would never forget, and Arlington National Cemetery made an especially indelible impression on him. This experience followed him throughout his life and successful career in business, reminding him that his good fortune was due, in large part, to the values of this 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 help of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, arrangements were made for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the cemetery, a section which had been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year."

This year Wreaths Across America "laid over 220,000 memorial wreaths at 545 locations in the United States and beyond." Including Pearl Harbor, Bunker Hill, Valley forge, and the sites of the September 11th tragedies. This was "accomplished with help from 902 fundraising groups, corporate contributions, and donations of trucking, shipping, and thousands of helping hands."

If you would like to be involved for 2012's Wreaths Across America day by donating your time or money, you can contact the organization here WreathsAcrossAmerica. (link)