December 2021

Wreaths Across America

Each year, Courage & Sacrifice Vice President Jeff Elie and his family travel to Arlington, VA to participate in Wreaths Across America.

The laying of flowers or wreaths to honor or remember the dead is an old tradition. Wreaths Across America started in 1992 by Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreaths in Maine. That year, Worcester Wreaths found themselves with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season. Worcester remembered a boyhood trip to Washington, DC, and in particular, his trip to the Arlington National Cemetery. With the aid 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 that received fewer visitors with each year.

This tradition quietly continued until 2005. A picture of the stones adorned with wreaths and covered in light snow circulated the Internet. The outpouring of donations, support, and volunteers grew substantially. Now, it is an annual event across the country. Courage & Sacrifice is proud to donate to Wreaths Across America.