A few weeks ago, for Veterans Day, I wrote a column urging Americans — especially those of us who haven’t served — to transform their appreciation into action.
Today comes this column from the Washington Post’s Mark Fisher describing a man from Maine named Morrill Worcester who had an idea — to adorn the graves at Arlington National Cemetery with wreaths for Christmas. It seems, thanks to Christmas products business, that he had extras. So he drove down and, with some friends, walked the rows, laying a red-bowed wreath on each grave. He began this tradition more than a decade ago, and he’s done it each year since.
Then, a few months ago, the e-mails started. Maybe you got one: a heart-wrenching yet elegant image of Worcester’s wreaths, each adorned with a simple red ribbon, resting in front of seemingly endless rows of identical gravestones on a snowy day at Arlington. Beneath the photo, a few lines of poetry:
“Rest easy, sleep well my brothers.
Know the line has held, your job is done.
Rest easy, sleep well . . . ”
And then just a paragraph about Worcester’s annual pilgrimage.
Thanks to the e-mail, this year, Mr. Worcester will have some company.
A week from today, Worcester will leave Columbia Falls, Maine, to lead the trailer full of wreaths down the coast. This time, it won’t be just the trucker, Worcester and his wife, Karen. This time, there’ll be an escort of a couple hundred Patriot Guard Riders, a national group of motorcyclists who take it upon themselves to display their respect for fallen service members.
This time, Worcester and friends won’t barrel down the interstate; they’re taking the slow road, Route 1, so that more motorcyclists — perhaps thousands more — might join the caravan.
This time, the wreath-laying won’t be a private affair. Instead of the 10 or 12 volunteers who had been rounded up in past years by Wayne Hanson, a retired federal law enforcement officer who lives in Springfield, at least 500 people will be ready to help lay the wreaths Dec. 14 — and maybe many more.
There will be a busload of school kids from Skowhegan, Maine, a Civil Air Patrol unit from up that way and all manner of Washington-area volunteers, too.
And Worcester wants us to know that this isn’t about politics — one way or the other.
Worcester has always returned the checks that people send him. The wreath-laying is his personal statement: “This is the least we can do.”
Everyone connected with the wreath project takes pains to note that it has nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with anyone’s opinion about Iraq or terrorism.
“It’s just a way to pay respect,” Hanson says. “When I came home from Vietnam, well, it wasn’t the best time to be in the military, or to be coming home. But this — it brings tears to my eyes to see 5,000 wreaths laid out across those white government headstones. You can’t think about anything but that ultimate sacrifice these people made to give us our freedom.”
Mr. Worcester’s simple gesture has attracted so much attention that there’s a website for it. http://wreathsacrossamerica.org/ It has the photo and the text of the e-mail, and a lot more — including information about how you can involved with a wreath laying at a military cemetery in your area — there are more than 200 locations this year.
For my own part, I just want to thank Mr. Worcester and his band of helpers. We would all do well to learn a lesson from their example.
UPDATE: Just noticed that my friend Doug Mataconis posted about this a little earlier today.
Also, here’s the page about the story on snopes.com — the urban legend folks who looked into it. They’ve got some excellent additional information.
Jim: Boy, does a story like this make my day. I’ve been in an awfully cynical snit - too much time covering politics, I guess - and it does a soul good to hear about decent folks making a quiet but distinctive gesture of respect and appreciation at this time of year.
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December 3, 2006 - 7:19 pm
Nothing less than outstanding will suffice.
December 3, 2006 - 7:41 pm
I happened to be in Arlington Cemetery on a cold winter day surrounded by silence and wrapped in thought some years ago when this wonderful operation suddenly arrived, fanned out and started to work. I was just stunned and then so pleased. I don’t get there very often (live on the other side of the USA) these days, and felt that if I did not take wreathes for my relatives buried on one hill there,(Grandparents, Parents, uncle and a cousin) no one would. What a wonderful thing this is.
December 3, 2006 - 7:50 pm
Since he doesn’t accept donations. My wife and some of her friends from work bought wreaths from his company and are going to ship them to soldiers in Iraq in time for Christmas.
December 3, 2006 - 7:55 pm
[…] UPDATE: Here is one more link, definitely worth reading. […]
December 3, 2006 - 9:02 pm
This is a lovely gesture. I do hope they check for and then skip over Jewish graves. My dad’s buried at Arlington, and while he had only complete respect for Christians, I’m sure he would prefer not to have a Christmas wreath on his grave — I think he would consider it a bit disrespectful of his religion. One can easily “spot the Jews” since their gravestones have a Star of David on them. Thanks.
Editor’s note by Marshall: The FAQ page on wreathsacrossamerica.com says:
December 3, 2006 - 9:21 pm
Thank you! I expected so, but didn’t check all the links and appreciate the clarification.
December 4, 2006 - 3:29 am
Wonderful homage paid to those who sacrificed all.
December 5, 2006 - 2:05 am
Pfc. Joshua Sparling: Not forgottenPlus: Supporting the troops this season
A year ago today, Fox News broadcast the story of Pfc. Joshua Sparling. Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade and FNC “War Stories” host Oliver North had visited Walter Reedy Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. and learned of a…
December 5, 2006 - 1:17 pm
[…] With a big stetson to On Tap , we learn of Morrill Worcester who has, for the past fifteen years: pack[ed] up a truckload of his Christmas wreaths and head[ed] down from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery. Without fanfare, he and a dozen or so volunteers would lay red-bowed wreaths on a few thousand headstones of fallen Americans. […]
December 5, 2006 - 1:52 pm
[…] Thanks for the story Katie. With a big stetson to On Tap , we learn of Morrill Worcester who has, for the past fifteen years: pack[ed] up a truckload of his Christmas wreaths and head[ed] down from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery. Without fanfare, he and a dozen or so volunteers would lay red-bowed wreaths on a few thousand headstones of fallen Americans. […]