NAV EX 1st QTR 2018 NavEx 1st Qtr 2018 - Draft 7a | Page 17

made for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington in
one of the older sections of the cemetery that had
been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year.”
The Story Reaches the Internet
The effort caught fire in about 2005 when a picture
of the Arlington gravestones, adorned with wreaths,
went viral on the internet. The story continues
with: “The annual trip to Arlington and the groups
of volunteers eager to participate in Worcester’s
simple wreath-laying event grew each year until it
became clear the desire to remember and honor our
country’s fallen heroes was bigger than Arlington,
and bigger than this one company. In 2007, the
Worcester family, along with veterans, and 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 other groups around the country who
wanted to do the same. The mission of the group is
simple: Remember. Honor. Teach.” The rest of the
Wreaths Across America story can be found on the
organization’s website, wreathsacrossamerica.org.
USCG Aux Photo
Photo by Louie Patterson
ABOVE RIGHT: Auxiliarists Pete Evans (U.S. Army, Ret.) and Nick McManus place a wreath in Lexington, KY. DIRECTLY ABOVE: Airman First
Class Gabriel Thompson stands with Auxiliarists Vick i Schuler and Frank Jackson before the Wreath ceremony in Newark, OH.
OR express
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