“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.”
The Wreaths Across America Story
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 visit 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, many other individuals and organizations stepped up to help. James Prout, owner of local trucking company Blue Bird Ranch, Inc., generously provided transportation 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.
For over a decade, this annual tribute went on quietly and privately. Everything changed in 2005 when a photo of the stones at Arlington, adorned with wreaths and covered in snow, circulated around the internet. Suddenly, the homespun tribute from a small town in downeast Maine was receiving national attention.
Thousands of requests poured in from all over the country from people wanting to help purchase and lay wreaths at Arlington. Thousands more wanted to emulate the Arlington project at their local National and State cemeteries. Still others simply desired to share their stories and thank Morrill Worcester for honoring our nation’s heroes. Many were surviving family members of some of those heroes.
Unable to donate thousands of wreaths to each state, Worcester began sending seven wreaths to every state: One for each branch of the military and an additional wreath to pay tribute to POW/MIAs. In 2006, with the help of the Civil Air Patrol
and other civic organizations, simultaneous wreath-laying ceremonies were held at over 150 locations around the country. The Patriot Guard Riders volunteered as escorts for the wreaths going to Arlington at the beginning of the annual “Veterans Honor Parade,” a convoy that now travels the East Coast every year in early December.
In 2007, the Worcester family, along with the support of veterans organizations and a variety of other groups and individuals who had helped with their annual veterans wreath ceremony in Arlington, formed Wreaths Across America, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, to continue and expand this effort, and support others around the country who wanted to do the same. The simple mission of the organization was established:
Remember. Honor. Teach.
Today, Wreaths Across America and its national network of volunteers place nearly 3 million sponsored veterans’ wreaths on headstones of our nation’s service members at 3,702 participating locations. This was accomplished with the support of more than 5,000 sponsorship groups, corporate contributions, and in-kind donations from the transportation industry across the country. The wreath-laying that began more than 30 years ago is held annually, on the second or third Saturday of December. WAA's annual pilgrimage from Harrington, Maine, to Arlington National Cemetery has become known as “the world’s largest veterans’ parade." Every year, the convoy of trucks, local law enforcement, staff, and supporters stop at schools, monuments, veterans’ homes, and communities along the way to talk about the Wreaths Across America mission and remind people how important it is to remember, honor, and teach.
Please Sponsor a Wreath and/or Volunteer to Help
To sponsor a veteran wreath and/or to volunteer to help lay the wreaths at Ft Sam National Cemetery this year, please visit our sponsorship website by clicking on the link below. You may also sponsor wreaths using the sponsorship form located at the bottom of this page and mailing your check, along with the completed form, to us.
REMEMBER the Fallen. . . HONOR those who Serve. . . TEACH our children the value of Freedom.
On December 13, 2025, at 10:00 am, TX0553P – American Legion Post 309 will be helping Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery to Remember and Honor our veterans by laying Remembrance wreaths on the graves of our country’s fallen heroes.
Please help us honor and remember as many fallen heroes as possible by sponsoring remembrance wreaths, volunteering on Wreaths Day, or inviting your family and friends to attend with you.
Thank you so much for supporting the TX0553P – American Legion Post 309 and Wreaths Across America!
