Wreaths Across America brings 200 volunteers placing 3000 wreaths
Goshen. The tradition of laying wreaths to honor veterans began in 1992, when Morrill Worcester, the owner of Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, Maine, had extra wreaths at the close of the holiday season. He lay them and thousands more on veterans’ graves.
| 19 Dec 2022 | 07:02
Wreaths at the County’s Veterans Memorial Cemetery on December 17
Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus puts a wreath down during the ceremony.
Orange County hosted a Wreaths Across America ceremony on Saturday, December 17, at the County’s Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
“Hundreds of residents attended the event, which is a testament to how committed Orange County is to our veterans.,” said Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus.
More than 3,000 wreaths were laid during the ceremony by more than 200 volunteers. Wreaths Across America is a national event, which pays tribute to the military’s fallen heroes during the holidays.
The tradition of laying wreaths to honor veterans began in 1992, when Morrill Worcester, the owner of Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, Maine, had extra wreaths at the close of the holiday season. Worcester remembered a boyhood trip to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. and decided to donate 5,000 wreaths to be placed on the headstones of an older section of the cemetery. By 2014, Wreaths Across America and its national network of volunteers laid over 700,000 memorial wreaths at 1,000 locations in the United States and beyond, with ceremonies at the Pearl Harbor Memorial, Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, and the sites of the September 11th tragedies.
“We have been overwhelmed by the number of residents who want to make sure all the brave servicemen and women buried at the Orange County Veterans Memorial Cemetery are remembered this holiday season,” said Christian Farrell, Orange County’s Veterans Service Agency Director.
For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com.